Never Leave Me
by Kachimoochi
Summary: An interpretation of the Netflix miniseries River in Mass Effect format. A detective for the CLED had a hidden love for his partner, although it is much too late, he still continues to love her. He now must traverse the world of law enforcement on The Citadel, while coming to terms with the woman he loves. M Human X F Turian
1. What Does He Know?

Never Leave Me

By Kachimoochi

Chapter I

What Does He Know?

The Citadel doesn't have a weather system, but it doesn't stop the powers at be from performing the illusion. Rain, or whatever moisture it was comprised of, fell from the "skies" of The Citadel, trailing on the thousands of skycars, and falling into the abyss below. To most it was natural, even calming, to Revin it was unnerving.

She sat in the passenger seat of the unmarked car, with her partner driving them through a fast food joint. Her nerves were still shaken for a reason she couldn't understand, on her native Palaven it rained constantly, she didn't know why it disturbed her so. She scratched the edges of her mandibles slowly, but it was enough for her partner to notice.

"You only do that when you're nervous" RJ said, not taking his eyes from the growing queue of skycars.

"It's the rain, I can't explain it, but it makes me feel…icky" Revin responded, her eyes glued to the lines of cars passing above her.

"Hmph. Relax, were only minutes away from a Guineo sandwich and Hirou milkshake for you, and a spicy chicken and diet cola for me" RJ chuckled, wanting to calm her nerves, in the only way he could think to.

RJ and Revin had been partners in the CLED for as long as they could remember, they were both in their 30s, so it must have at least been a decade, if not longer. The Citadel Law Enforcement Department was a private alternative to C-Sec, they were a public entity, but more disciplined, intelligent, and accountable than the alternative. That was the reason they both joined up they discovered, both had been former employees of C-Sec, but the endless bureaucracy and corruption jaded them to unthinkable nihilism.

They had been partners then too, only beat cops whose job was to issue citations to illegal parked cars or to bodyguard evictions. It didn't satisfy them, nothing there did. They made a joint decision to give their chief an ultimatum, change or fire them, the decision was obvious.

After working security gigs for a couple of months afterward, they were contracted by the CLED as beat cops once again; they decided that it was better than nothing. In time they would hone their skills together, side by side, Human and Turian, brother and sister in arms. In no time flat they became detectives, receiving no end of support from the overseers of the department, they still insisted on working side by side.

Time passed like waves in the sea, within seconds it sometimes seemed. This could be considered the high tide of their career, every case they worked on had been a success, not a single failure. Revin was the bad cop; RJ was the good cop, and through it all they were a force to be reckoned with.

On this occasion in particular, they had reached the end of their shift and were stopping for a quick dinner before RJ dropped Revin at her apartment, they decided to carpool years ago. RJ hated this place; it was a Turian dive, with only a handful of Human food items to satisfy the Citadel's diversity quotas. But this place made food that reminded Revin of home, and that was good enough for RJ. Even if it meant intense, abdominal misery from a half rotten spicy chicken sandwich.

"We could go somewhere else for a change, my feelings won't be hurt" Revin sighed, turning her attention finally to the never ending line of cars in the dive's drive thru.

"I've got nothing but time now, I'm a night owl anyways, you know that" RJ smiled at her.

Both beings turned their attention once again to their respective distraction, RJ counted raindrops in the windshield, whilst Revin observed the cars for broken tail lights, being a cop does this to one.

The pair weren't the average partnership one saw in Citadel Law Enforcement, Turians and Humans weren't seen together usually in the first place. Even in a so-called progressive paradise that the Citadel advertized itself as.

It made Revin laugh to herself the comments criminals would harass her with, seeing her together with a Human male, partner or otherwise. They were easy targets, but their skin had grown thick over the decade. Most of their coworkers would tease them relentlessly still over their obvious romantic tension, it was indeed there.

They behaved much the same as a married couple, without the government interference. Perhaps that was the reason they were still "married", as opposed to a majority of their friends. Maybe there could have been room for romance between the two years ago, but it was too late.

It was too late for anything now.

"HQ to car #33, RJ you there?" The intercom buzzed in their skycar.

"#33 copy that" Revin said, coming out of her stupor.

"We've got a report of a body found inside of the Vomis parking garage, the Captain asked for you two specifically" The female voice responded on the other end of the Citadel.

"I just got off a 20 hour shift, you know I haven't slept in 3 days right?" RJ groaned audibly.

"The Captain said there's overtime in it for you, ain't no rest for the wicked I guess" The voice spoke empathetically.

"Yeah yeah, alright Sal, tell Vik I'll be there in 10 minutes, #33 out" RJ concluded, deactivating the console and pulling out of the 30 car line.

Their car received dozen's of unhappy honks from the hungry patrons, that was until Revin reached her hand into the siren console and activated it, the car racing off in a lateral direction in a blaze of red and blue.

"Aw come on RJ, you know I can't survive without my Hirou milkshake. Come on, let's cut to the front of the line, we'll say it's a police emergency?" Revin begged.

"As much as I love frivolously abusing our authority, I'm afraid the overtime is an offer I can't refuse" RJ spoke softly, easing up on the speed of the car, closing in on the location Sal punched into his GPS.

"I don't have any say in this do I?" Revin spoke, staring back out her window once more.

"Not anymore I'm afraid" RJ whispered.

In no time, the pair's skycar slowed to a crawl as it closed into the Vormis parking garage, a Salarian wearing a red cloak stood beckoning them to an empty space, standing still awaiting his employees. Behind him, a hologram of the body was lined out on the ground of the garage, while the real body was being lifted into an ambulance.

"Welcome Agent Clifford, I see you took the scenic route" The Salarian spoke.

"The rain calms me, besides to you it's RJ, every friend I have calls me RJ" RJ said as he stretched his arms, having been in the fast food line for at least a half hour.

"Well then, Agent Clifford, we should begin immediately, while the crime scene's still fresh.

"As you command Vikeni" RJ mumbled, race walking to the corpse's hologram.

The Salarian and the Human scoured the space around the body for evidence, before touching the hologram. It was standard for the CLED to use holograms in place of the body, all the accuracy, no contamination.

Their labor bore plasma residue leading to an empty space where a skycar once stood. RJ ascertained that the murder weapon was a self defense plasma pistol; it was single shot and made a large blast, in effort to scare away assailants.

The Salarian observed the body before RJ, noting that it was an Asari who had been shot in the head, the entry would on the back of her crest smaller than that of the front, meaning that she didn't even see it coming. The two spent at least a half hour more gathering clues or observations before meeting again with one another.

"What do you have?" Vikeni commanded neutrally.

"The weapon was plasma-based, there's residue appearing on my Omni-tool, call in forensics to find the weapon and the plasma cartridge purchaser. It was single shot, because of the large blast of particles, meaning it was probable a self defense model, but I guess that doesn't necessarily mean it was self defense." RJ concluded.

"You're right, it wasn't. The exit wound is in the front of the Asari's head, meaning the shot came from behind, cold blooded. The body didn't have a purse, so no ID, but that also puts robbery as the main motive." Vikeni said.

"I'm about to pass out, put in the call to forensics, and find somebody to identify the body, I'm going to get a few hours of sleep. I'll be in tomorrow afternoon, I need to catch up on my Z's" RJ surrendered to his drowsiness, sauntering back to his skycar.

"Your shift ended 4 hours ago, where were you in the first place, I'm suppressed you got the message?"

"I was…at home…but I was talking to my dad…I don't see him much, I'll stay on top of it next time, I shouldn't let myself get this tired"

"You were there again weren't you, at that dive?"

"Yeah, she told me not to, but it made her happy"

"You can't keep doing this"

"Doing what?"

"Listen, Revin was my friend too. Not a day goes by that I don't miss her complaining about her sister's financial issues, or her spoiling every movie in the cinema on a weekly basis. But she's gone, I'm sorry but she really is. What you're doing isn't healthy, you need to get help"

RJ looked to his car, watching Revin now outside of the car, staring at the faux skybox that covered the Citadel, she didn't pay any attention to the other two detectives, her attention was drawn to something else, whatever it may be.

"Thanks for the tip, goodnight" RJ whispered, ignoring his advice the entire time, and sauntered back to the skycar.

He approached Revin, who had now turned her avian had to face her companion, she smiled, as Turians could possibly attempt. He didn't see her smile much anymore, whenever he looked at her, it was as if her head was always facing the clouds, metaphorically speaking.

"He told you to stop going there? To stop talking to me?" The female Turian inquired, still smiling, teeth exposed and mandibles flexed.

"Yeah, he doesn't understand, no one does"

She approached her partner and embraced him in a long hug, one that lasted for at least a full minute. RJ didn't feel warm these days, but whenever she hugged him, it was as if he was standing on the surface of the sun. He could feel the color red stain his otherwise pale face, he never touched her much as it went.

"What does he know?" She replied, walking back to the skycar.

RJ hadn't noticed it for a while, but once he saw it, it would stick in his mind for days to come. As she walked in front of him, a large hole appeared through her abdomen, the sides blazing in orange, from a lazer bolt. Blue liquid slowly leaked and congealed from the hole, staining the grey, concrete ground of the garage as she walked. Besides that, she looked the same as she always did.

It was no use denying it to him, no matter how much it hurt. She was dead, he couldn't save her, and he never got to tell her he loved her.


	2. I'll Stop When You Start

Never Leave Me

By Kachimoochi

Chapter II

I'll Stop When You Start

4 Years Ago

RJ and the still living Revin were on their way to their respective homes, after a hard, long day of crime fighting. Their day had started in the early morning with 3 domestic disturbances, followed by a drunk and disorderly just before lunch. They finished their 20 hour shift with a red sand raid on an Asari kingpin warehouse.

Now they drove home in RJ's unmarked skycar, black with a white stripe lining the center and sides, it hid a camouflaged CLED logo and a siren upon its chassis, which exposed itself only when called upon for duty. Revin had cajoled RJ into stopping at Uvitikus's Drive Thru, a Turian dive restaurant with substandard food, but was enough to remind her of her childhood on the mean streets of Palaven.

She felt bad about it of course, as RJ would pester her to no end the next morning of the gastrointestinal time bomb he was forced to consume for dinner whenever they stopped there. She also knew that he wanted to make her happy; she hoped that one day she could establish a routine to balance out their happiness, to make him happy for once, but she had no such luck.

They rode in silence as they approached Revin's apartment, though it would take a few extra minutes to navigate the streets of the massive tenement building. RJ decided to break the silence by stating his opinion on her living quarter choice for another countless time.

"I'm telling you this place isn't safe, especially for a cop. You're good luck is going to run out someday" RJ stated, sighing as he noticed at least 7 simultaneous crimes being committed on Revin's apartment floor alone.

"I can take care of myself as well you know, besides, you'll protect me if I'm ever in trouble, right?" She whimpered, attempting her rendition of puppy dog eyes, Turian style.

"Oh yeah? The first chance I get I'm throwing you to the wolves, hopefully my next partner will choose a restaurant that serves palatable food" RJ guffawed sarcastically, enjoying the faux-hurt expression on his partner's face.

After faking having her feelings hurt, Revin broke out into a laughing fit alongside her partner. She supposed that was the best security in life she could hope for, having a partner whom she could always depend on, never having to watch her back, knowing another pair of eyes always watched out for her.

Police, especially C-Sec, always emphasized extreme stoicism in the training of their cadets. After breaking their spirit through boot camp, they were thrown to the wolves of Asari gangs, Batarian slavers, and even private Salarian spec ops. C-Sec now was little more than a private military company funded by the extravagant taxes supplied by the careless inhabitants of The Citadel.

CLED, she believed was the better alternative, emphasizing team work and results, politics and tabloids be dammed. She was thrilled when RJ stood by her and quit C-Sec alongside her, they had only known each other for about 2 years, but she never knew the full extent of his loyalty until he marched into their boss's office and flung his resignation letter in his fish habitat.

Those were the thoughts that permeated through her conciseness until a certain tune caught her attention. It was a familiar tune, at least to her, and was once she knew by heart. It was a song on the radio inside the sky car, and RJ noticed it almost as immediately as she did. It started out as a simple strum of a guitar, and soon broke out into a loud symphony of disco music.

"Oh no! I've suffered enough tonight, I'm not listening to this" RJ commanded, reaching the console to switch the radio station.

"Out of luck, I'm using senior privilege on this; this song is my jam, come on sing with me!" Revin exclaimed as she counted in time with the beat of the disco music, preparing herself to sing.

"You graduated CLED training a half hour before I did and you're using this to torture me?" RJ groaned, defeated.

She ingored his pleas of misery and begun the first verse, motioning with her six fingers for RJ to sing along with her.

_Oh I love to love, but my baby just loves to dance, he wants to dance, he loves to dance, he's got to dance…_

"Oh sweet god almighty I beg of you, please stop" RJ begged, pretending to sob into his steering console.

"I'll stop when you start, come on! Sing with me, please" Revin said, dancing in her seat, jabbing RJ's shoulder to join her.

"I'm not singing"

"Fine"

_Hit it, the band begins to swing it, he's on his feet to dig it, and dance the night away…_

_Sundown, instead of going downtown, let's stay at home and get down, to what I'm trying to say…_

RJ began to glare in frustration and anger, although it was a short lived emotion, as he turned his head slightly to view Revin in all her glory.

He watched as she closed her eyes and danced to the disco music in her seat. To any being with discernible taste, she would have looked beyond pathetic, but RJ had never seen something so adorable in his life. She bounced up and down the seat slightly with her eyes closed, waving her arms back and forth, her dual-toned voice out-singing the already high-pitched voice on the radio.

RJ wouldn't realize it until much later, but he could have sworn that the voice that left her diaphragm wasn't her voice, but that of an angel. He would later imagine that this was the moment he discovered that he was in love with Revin, never recalling ever hearing a more peaceful and beautiful sound from anything before then.

Even when he dropped her off at her apartment at last, and she apologized once again for dragging him to the Turian restaurant, as she did most every night, he was still mesmerized by her singing voice. He didn't recall much of what else happened that night, as most of the following weeks left him obsessed with her voice, and with her as well.

Present Day

RJ stood at the sink in his bathroom, staring into the unfamiliar being staring back into him through the mirror. His blonde, short hair had long ago become dry and brittle, now depending on constant combing to appear presentable, which he had only recently stopped doing as well.

Normally he didn't go home much, only to take a shower, or to pass out from sheer exhaustion. He eat less and less with each passing day, but couldn't bring himself to eat anything else than the half-rotten spicy chicken from Uvitikus's. He found himself working more and more, for overtime he wasn't interested in, for credits didn't have any purpose in spending. Ever since Revin's death 6 month ago, this is how RJ lived his life.

Every minute that he didn't spend on the clock, was spent trying to find out who murdered the love of his life.

"Boo!" Revin exclaimed, waving her hands in a ghost-like fashion, in a vain attempt to frighten her compatriot.

"Nice try. It didn't work on April fools, as it sure as hell isn't going to work now" RJ replied, still staring at his unfamiliar reflection in the mirror.

"Aw come on! I'm totally scary, I'm the ghost of you lost love, destined to curse your existence for never confessing your feelings to me, you let me die unloved. Ooo!" Revin continued to act, peeking behind RJ's shoulder in effort to scare him better, to little avail.

"You're not a ghost; you're a manifestation of my traumatized brain, or your proof that I've gone completely insane, either way I'm screwed" RJ whispered, stepping away from the mirror and exiting his bathroom.

RJ entered his bedroom and flung his brown leather jacket onto a nearby chair, before changing into his pajamas, in a seemingly futile attempt to decrease his sleep deficit. Although in reality, it may have been a ploy to divert suspicion away from his Captain, Vikeni. He was the only person aware of the phantom that stalked him, and though he was sworn to secrecy, he would throw RJ under the bus in a heartbeat if it interfered with his job.

RJ tossed himself into his unmade bed, and closed his eyes despite the burning which permeated his pupils. He ran a hand through his unkempt blonde and brown beard, he may have appeared as a homeless person with a badge, but his hardboiled attitude was unmerciful in the face of such criticism. He peeked a single eye open to see if Revin was still there, she was, still smiling while sitting in the chair, covering herself with his jacket like a blanket.

"This isn't right and you know it" Revin announced loudly.

"What isn't?" RJ groaned, annoyingly.

"You have to find out who did this to me"

"What do you think I've been doing the past 6 months?"

"You have to think about how I led myself to my own death; tell me, what do you know?" Revin asked, setting RJ up for yet another night of hypothetical investigating.

"You were found in an alley way, shot through the abdomen once point blank, you were alive for a half hour afterwards wheezing for help, but no one noticed. You died of blood loss. No one knows why you were in that alley, not even me, your most trusted friend" RJ whispered in anger, or in grief, they tended to mix together.

"Okay. Now what does that mean?"

"You either couldn't trust me enough to tell me earlier, or you were too prideful to ask for help, even from me. I could have saved you, dammit!"

"Yes, you could have, but we both know it's too late" The phantom said, still sitting, and facing the ceiling.

"Alright…alley way…you were found with your wallet and Omni-tool, meaning robbery isn't likely, and the exit wound was on your back meaning you faced the murderer face on…"

"Yes, you're getting closer, keep going" The phantom encouraged.

"Were you meeting an informant? You must have recognized them, or else you would have drawn your pistol first, I know how paranoid you were."

"Where was this again?"

"Uh…the alley beside the AM PM and the development complex you lived in, I always told you it wasn't safe there, you didn't listen"

"Maybe I was there for a reason?"

"Maybe"

RJ's objective was clear, he had to make it back to the scene of the crime, he had been there at least once a week since the murder, but there must have been something he missed, a witness who didn't come forward. This was Revin, this was the only person in his life he loved, no matter the risk and no matter the consequences. RJ would get revenge for her; she'd have done the same for him.

RJ stood up, grabbed his jacked from the body of Revin, causing her to shiver and walked to his dresser to equip his gun and badge. He wasn't a single step before his front door before his Omni-tool activated, it was Captain Vikeni. RJ thought it was presumptuous of him to assume he'd be awake at this hour, but he wasn't kidding anybody, he needed to keep busy. Maybe this was the Salarian's way of keeping him from Revin's case, in effort to preserve as much of RJ's sanity as he could. Or maybe he was trying to save his own ass from being known as the Captain who turns his detectives schizophrenic.

He answered the call, audio mode only, RJ realized he still had his pajamas on under his jacket, and raced to redecorate himself as he conversed with his Captain.

"Yeah Captain?"

"We have an identity on the Asari, Milika Yuvora, age 234, lived in the Development Complex alone, worked at…"

"Development Complex? That's where Revin lived"

"Yes, along with 3,547 other beings, it's a coincidence I assure you"

"Revin didn't believe in coincidences"

"Just get to the station, were going to brief the other detectives before going to her apartment, can I trust you to keep your cool?"

"Yes Vikeni, Revin keeps to herself mostly, I hardly know she's there most of the time"

"It's Revin still talking to you that I still have a problem with"

"I scheduled an appointment with the department grief counselor alright, I'm getting help, just let me help you, okay?"

"Fine, just keep her to yourself"

"Aye Aye, Sir"

RJ deactivated his console, just as he finished putting on a grey pair of dress pants and a black tee shirt under his leather jacket. Now equipping his gun and badge, he met Revin at the front door, ready to brief her first on the next mission.

"The murdered Asari lived in your apartment complex, I smell a connection"

"Ooo, the plot thickens, if you solve my murder I'll stop haunting you, Oooo"

"Stop it!"

"What're ya gonna do? Kill me?"


	3. Wasn't Her Style

Never Leave Me

By Kachimoochi

Chapter III

Wasn't Her Style

6 Months Ago

It was the night cycle of the Citadel, and the bright blue covering gave way to the dark, seedy dark blue covering overhead. CLED officers had changed their shifts around two hours previously, including RJ Clifford and Revin Tyuvio. As per their routine, they stopped to Revin's favorite fast food restaurant before RJ dropped her off at her "less than secure" living quarters.

RJ went to his penthouse apartment, compliments of his brother, who was a higher-up in the Human representative government. He always approached the apartment with unease, not only because he was a cop, but because he knew what it represented.

Instead of continuing his law career like his father insisted, such a task fell to his little brother, who saw it through in totality. From that he advanced through the ranks in a small number of years to serving on the Citadel as an assistant, or some sort to a diplomat, or some such. RJ loved his brother with all his heart, but it felt a bit humiliating to have to go home to an apartment that his younger brother paid for. It certainly made holidays at his parents' house awkward.

The final thought stuck in RJ's head for a while, the implications being oh so obvious. Christmas was around the corner, RJ would always return to Earth to stay with his parents and brother for a week until the New Year. Then something else connected itself to the thought, just when he thought he'd been rid of it.

In ten years of being partners with Revin, she'd never met his parents or his brother. She'd heard of his brother, mentioned in connection with a diplomat, but never seen him in person. RJ thought this strange, not that it had any connection with his romantic feelings towards her, but rather that in 10 years of working together she'd never met his family.

RJ had met her family on one occasion or another. She first unintentionally invited him to her little sister's graduation from the Academy on Palaven, and her induction into the mandatory military service. There he'd meet her parents and her sister, Revin would never admit something so humiliating, but she suspected that her sister possessed a crush on her then clean shaven, blonde, and charismatic companion. Though RJ would never act upon it, he would think on it from time to time, savoring the ego boost.

From that day, her family insisted on bringing RJ to their functions, graduations, birthdays, even funerals. Turian culture had loose family roles, to them, a partner in the military, or even CLED was tantamount to a blood relation. In a strange way, he considered them family as well.

RJ recalled on multiple occasions trying to invite Revin to his family's functions in return, but she coincidently always had an excuse for bailing out at the last minute. They weren't unsubstantiated claims particularly, as her sister would break her arm, her father would end up in the hospital, or she'd be put on mandatory assignment just after she agreed to accompany him.

Even before RJ found love for Revin, he still attempted to get her to meet his family, but finally surrendered on the thought, as fate seemed against it by all odds. Still, he made a point to assure her that she'd be welcome at any event he was obligated to go to, which she agreed she'd accept when the time was right.

These were RJ's final thoughts leading to the moment in which his life would change forever.

After he'd returned home, changed into his pajamas, and went to bed, he got a call on his home Omni-Tool before his head even hit the pillow.

*ring-ring*

"Hmm, hello?" RJ asked.

"Hey…it's me" The voice of Revin announced.

"Hey Revin, shouldn't you be in bed?"

She chuckled before answering. "I'm a night owl, you should know that"

"So what is it?"

"I just wanted to talk…about us"

"Is something wrong?"

"No…well, no. I just wanted to say…that I think we're…drifting apart"

"What do you mean, we're fine" RJ said surprised, sitting up in his bed.

"No, I know… it's just that…something's happened, and I think we're going to be spending even more time together, and I just wanted to be the first to know" Revin spoke, periodically stopping to find the right words.

"What does that have to do with us drifting apart?"

"The time we'll be spending together, it won't be the same like it used to"

"What do you mean, what's happened?"

"I really can't say much more, I've already said too much" She spoke ominously.

"Ah Jesus, I get it. Vikeni's given us separate cases, sounds like something he'd do. Don't worry about it, we'll see each other plenty" RJ said, trying to calm the shaky Turian down, while trying to analyze what she'd been talking about.

The voice on the other end of the Omni-Tool didn't speak for a number of seconds, RJ could still hear Revin breathing, but it seemed labored, or maybe like she was sighing again, and again.

"You there, Revin?" RJ asked after half a minute.

"Goodbye RJ" The voice finally said, as it cut off.

This wasn't her style; usually you'd have to ask her to ask her to be less detailed in her information, than more detailed. It was as if she'd told him an entire story, while telling him nothing at all. She seemed normal too until the final minute of conversation, but she was secretive. In truth, that's what scared RJ the most.

Revin never kept secrets from RJ, she'd talk his ear off with office place gossip, spoilers on movies she'd seen, even recipes she'd found in her cook book collection, and every secret she possessed. RJ thought himself naïve that she'd tell him all of her secrets, but there wasn't much she hadn't told him before, such was the reason he never told her his secrets.

Was she in trouble? Was she scared? She never got scared, is she being kidnapped? What's going on?

Those were the questions that raced through RJ's mind as he wondered what happening to his partner. Perhaps his new found love for his partner had clouded his judgment, manufacturing an issue where one didn't exist. Ever since those 4 years ago when she first sung for him, he'd notice that he was more protective of Revin. Going first on busts, shouting at people who sassed her, and even so far as sticking around her apartment for a few minutes to make sure no one broke into it.

All along he knew that she was more than capable of taking care of herself, hell, she'd even killed more perps than him by a long shot. Surprisingly, Revin never caught on to RJ's protectiveness, perhaps assuming it was due to lack of sleep or boredom. RJ was scared to confess to her after all those years, being shot, kidnapped, fired, and enslaved didn't faze him, rejection did.

RJ laid his head back on the pillow, and tried to go to sleep, deciding that his protective alarm was tricking his mind. He would deal with whatever was going on in the morning, alongside Revin, one way or another.

Until his Omni-Tool began to ring again.

"Hello?"

All RJ could hear was heavy breathing, and choking periodically. He looked at the caller ID, which read Levita Tyuvio: Revin's sister.

"Vita? Is that you?"

"ARJAY!" Levita exclaimed, followed by a bombardment of sobbing.

"Vita? What's wrong? Are you okay?" RJ immediately stood up out of bed, pulse racing.

"She's dead RJ…She's dead!"

"Vita! Listen carefully, who is dead?" RJ said, putting on his jacket and running onto his balcony, and summoning his car.

"REVIN!...she's been shot!" Levita screamed, as she continued sobbing.

"No! No… no no no, I just got off the phone with her, it was only a few minutes ago"

"She's been dead for 3 hours RJ" Vita whispered in between sobs.

RJ didn't need another word, just as he activated his car, and he heard those words, he froze. He deactivated his Omni-Tool and froze, not moving, not crying, not even thinking. He didn't know how long he froze, around a minute or two, but it was as if he had an out of body experience.

He eventually passed out of his catatonia and the car set its course to Revin's apartment complex, where the caller ID said Levita was, or Vita as her family called her. He didn't even think along the way, he just stared out the window, staring out into nothing.

He'd known Revin for 10 years, and just like that she was gone, without a single word, only a goodbye. What did this mean? How could Revin have talked to him if she were dead? The answer was obvious, she was still alive, she must be.

In a few minutes RJ arrived at the scene of the crime, an alley way beside Revin's apartment, with the entire complex surrounded by CLED and C-SEC skycars. He arrived just in time to see two EMT's carrying the body into an ambulance. He landed his skycar and rushed over to the body, everyone knew who he was, and who she was to him. Nobody stopped him.

Vikeni tried to step in to stop RJ from approaching Revin's corpse, but Vita held him back. This was something that RJ had to see for himself, something nobody could stop him from doing.

RJ climbed into the ambulance, pushing the EMTs out of the way. He maneuvered his way to the front of the ambulance, where Revin's head lay, and unzipped the body bag. There was no question, it was Revin.

She'd been wearing what she wore to work that day, her red and blue plated armor, with her red and blue facial markings. They were a design unique to Turian culture, but RJ insisted that it appeared to be modeled after an atom. Her eyes were closed, and her mandibles relaxed, meaning she died after she was shot. He hoped she didn't suffer for long.

He continued to unzip further to see the shot, only to get his fingers covered in her blue blood as he did. He exposed her torso, which possessed a still smoldering hole in her abdomen, a single shot from a lazer. He didn't know if she had her shield activated, most CLED did even off duty, meaning either the shot pierced the shield in one shot, or she didn't wear it at all.

He activated his Omni-Tool to conduct a facial scan, in the vain hope that she'd somehow faked her death. Though as expected, the scan revealed only Revin's identity, it was her, and she was gone.

RJ rezipped the body bag, and exited the ambulance. As he exited the ambulance backwards, he turned to face an audience that had gathered before him. The crowd was comprised of Vita, Vikeni, Revin's parents, other CLED officers, and tenants from the complex observing the commotion. RJ couldn't handle the stress any longer, he broke into a spirint in the first direction he could think of, ingnoring Revin's family and his Captain.

"ARJAY!" Vita screamed after him, being prevented from chasing him after being carried by her father, who also had tears in his eyes.

Vikeni ordered all officers to stand off him, to which they also obeyed.

RJ continued running for minutes on end, tears streaming down his face, his face contorted in anger and rage. His legs would eventually give out as he ran through an alley way, forcing his body to fall, tripping on a piece of trash.

As he stood, he punched a wall in anger, leaving a sizable crack in the metallic, fabricated façade. He broke down beside it and hid his face in his hands, crying where nobody could see him. He felt guilty for abandoning Revin's family, their daughter had just been killed and instead of hunting the bastard that did it, he was weeping in an alleyway like a girl.

"Why? What happened Revin? Why did you leave me? You can't?" RJ repeated to himself obsessively.

"I don't know, I hoped you would" A feminine voice exclaimed out of sight.

RJ jumped to his feet in search of the voice, to find Revin standing just beside him, hidden only by the small corner of the back of a building.

"Revin?" RJ squeaked.

"What's left anyways" Revin whispered, a small smile upon her face.

RJ began laughing uncontrollably and maniacally, pointing and crying simultaneously.

"I knew it, you had a plan! This is why you didn't tell me right? I knew you'd be okay! Please let me hug you, I have to know you're safe" RJ yelled, approaching the Turian, and gazing upon the half foot taller figure.

He walked bowlegged, sauntering and limping towards the figure, a look of joy and sadness upon his face. He reached out above her neckpiece with one arm, and another around her miniature abdomen. He gripped, and there was nothing.

"What? Revin?" RJ whispered, still crying.

"I'm gone, but I'm still alive to you" Revin spoke ominously.

He tried once more, fingers slipping through her face and body, as if she were a ghost, not reating to the pressure of his body in the slightest. This was it, he couldn't take anymore. He broke down on the ground of the alleyway, and covered his head while pounding the ground in pain.

"No! Please! You can't leave me!" RJ sobbed, "You said you'd never leave me….Never Leave Me…" he cried and choked.

Vikeni lowered his skycar to the alleyway still out of sight, squinting his Salarian eyes to recognize the broken figure as his subordinate, detective Clifford. The figure was down on all fours, pounding the ground and sobbing, occasionally speaking unintelligibly.

RJ soon noticed the figure stalking and observing him, and turned to face him, face red from crying, and knuckles bleeding from punching.

"She's right here, right Vikeni? I'm looking at her, you are too, right? She's still alive, she's right here?" RJ continued to sob, staring at nothing.

"Let's go Clifford; we're taking you to the hospital" Vikeni said, lifting the Human up by his arms, and assisting him to his car.

"I'm not crazy, I see her. She's here; she needs me to save her. I have to find her!" RJ recited spastically, being led to Captain Vikeni's car.

The car lifted into the sky above, and slowly made its way into another line of travelling skycars. Just as the car lifted itself above, RJ stared out the window of the passenger seat, looking at his dead partner another time. She simply smiled back at him, and waved goodbye.

"Goodbye my love" Revin whispered.

"Goodbye my love" RJ answered.


	4. I'm Here To Help

Never Leave Me

By Kachimoochi

Chapter IV

I'm Here To Help

6 Months Ago

RJ Clifford sat in a wicker chair in the waiting room of a small office. He was deep in thought, not saying a single word after registering with the registrar. His voice was croaky, dry and strained, as if he hadn't spoken for weeks, or spoken a weeks-worth in a single day.

It had been one week since Revin's death, and RJ's subsequent loss of sanity. The final thing he remembered about that night was being carried off by Vikeni, and being checked into a hospital. His guilt was immense; he should be out on the streets tracking down Revin's killer, instead of a mandatory psych evaluation.

After his episode, he was put in solitary confinement for 3 days after her death. When he exited the room of soft, white material, he seemed as he'd always seemed, normal. He wasn't of course; every minute in that room was spent with the ghost of his love, which he came to accept was an apparition, or a figment of his imagination.

They didn't talk about anything important, just the things she usually talked about. She never explained her death, she wasn't even aware of it until RJ told her of it. She wanted her murder to be solved as well, though she was only a projection of RJ's conscience. They'd pass the day comparing theories, or imagining scenarios, in effort for RJ to feel his time wasn't completely wasted.

Either way, it was obvious to him that he couldn't let anyone else know about her, or rather know that he was still seeing her. He wasn't sure why he was seeing her phantom, he'd seen hundreds of dead bodies across his career, but none had ever affected him so. He wasn't afraid of losing his freedom, but rather he was afraid of being put away, never to solve her murder, or to let someone else take the credit.

Fortunately, Vikeni was a jobsworth in every sense of the word, meaning he'd follow the guidelines of CLED meticulously, even at the cost of convenient evidence. When RJ was released from solitary, Vikeni was no closer to solving the murder, not that it mattered at the time. The CLED had another matter occurring simultaneously, one they had to supervise.

Many don't know this, but killing a cop is tantamount to starting a war, without any exaggeration. The criminal mind could gain much morale realizing they were capable of killing a cop, meaning the rest of the cops had to squash that habit before it even became one. In the CLED department, cops and detectives were suiting up for war; Revin's death enacted a new, temporary policy: no mercy.

The CLED would be more brutal in their tactics, no matter the crime, to offset the notoriety of a murdered detective. In addition to expediently tracking down the culprit, they'd arrest a criminal for as little as a parking violation. If they couldn't find an arrestable offense, they'd plant something, anything to receive a modicum of recompense for their fallen comrade.

Unfortunately for RJ, much of the fun had already been had while he was in solitary. The joy of arresting gangsters for arbitrary offenses in retaliation for a cop's murder hadn't occurred as he'd thought. Other detectives scoured their contacts and moles within the various gangs on The Citadel, and none were aware of Revin's murder.

Even the higher-ups in the gangs were unaware of such an event, as most of the gangs' policies demanded no murder of officers. An offence that they personally punished with death, or surrender to the police. Despite almost a week of arresting and investigating, they found no clues in her murder, and with the streets satiated with their lesson, CLED would have no choice but to return to other businesses.

RJ understood, after all, this was something he wanted to solve personally. After he was released from the hospital, he was ordered to receive mandatory counseling and evaluation, which he begrudgingly accepted. This is what brought him to this private office, CLED spared no expense on their officers, so they contracted the most expensive and experienced psychiatrist on The Citadel.

"Mr. Clifford? Dr. Yuibo will see you know" The receptionist shouted at the brooding figure in the wicker chair.

RJ thanked her, and traveled with her into a private room in the back of the clinic. He was met with the Asari psychiatrist standing outside her office, shaking her hand and following her into her private office. She offered him refreshments, of which he only accepted a single tea cake, before laying down on a reclining sofa, assuming the position of a therapist's patient.

"Before I begin, I want to implore you to be as truthful with me as possible, so I can help you as accurately as possible, whether you think so or not, I'm here to help" She preamble.

RJ nodded in agreement.

"So tell me Detective Clifford, what brings you here?" Dr. Yuibo began.

"I was ordered to after my partner died" He answered.

"The grief is too much to bear?" She inquired.

"Not exactly…uh, I think that when I heard the news I went a little crazy. I imagined she was still alive before me, she was even talking, I felt insane." He detailed.

"You believe you were hallucinating?"

"I was hoping you could tell me"

RJ took a moment as Dr. Yuibo jotted some notes on her Omni-Tool to eat his tea cake. He knew that if he told the whole truth he'd be committed on the spot, and that was something he couldn't afford to happen until Revin's case was solved. He decided to dance around the details, and make excuses as to why he'd seen her phantom. After all, he was a detective, he met liars every day, he must have picked some of it up by now.

"What was your relationship with Detective Tyuvio?" She restarted.

"She was my best friend, it was almost like we were siblings, I guess my heart couldn't handle the news" RJ excused.

"Who told you the news?"

"Her sister, Levita"

"Usually in cases of emotional hallucination, the victim undergoes not only intense psychological trauma, but also physical"

"I think I see where you're going with this"

"Did you have any physical discomfort or trauma that night?"

RJ began to innocently chuckle, and gave a long sigh. He needed to make up an excuse for the physical discomfort. Thankfully he had a rock-solid alibi, as he did every night of Revin's and RJ's duty.

"Every night after our shift, Revin would always insist on stopping to eat at this horrible Turian fast food joint, she only ate there because they had food from her part of Palaven. I'd always eat from their human menu to save time, and would usually get food sickness because of it, it was worth it to make her happy" He recited from memory, hoping the false reason was acceptable.

"Would you often sacrifice things for her?"

"She was my best friend; I'd sacrifice anything for her"

"I see"

They would continue to conversate for another hour, with Dr. Yuibo never giving away her hand, though RJ believed his lies had been enough to convince her that he was sane enough to return to duty. She insisted that RJ return for more sessions, on the CLED's dime, to work through any trauma that may surface later. RJ hoped that this wasn't her way of offering him a way to tell the truth next time, but he had better things to do at the moment.

He left the office, and drove his car to the Apartment Complex where Revin lived. He had another commitment to honor, helping Levita collect her sister's belongings.

His heart rate began to pulse rapidly as he inched ever closer to her former abode, Revin's phantom took this opportunity to present herself once again.

"I really am sorry about all of this, if I could stop this I would" Revin apologized.

"Don't apologize, this is the best result I could hope for" RJ answered as he drove.

"What?"

"I have you all to myself for all eternity; I'm just sorry you had to die for me to get it"

"Not as sorry as I am"

They drove ever closer to her former home, noticing Levita's skycar in the nearby parking space inside the apartment. It occurred to Revin's phantom that she hadn't seen her parents and little sister in months, and they wouldn't even know she was in the room with them. That scared her to no end, knowing the family she loved would never see her again.

"Listen…I'm going to find whoever did this, no matter how long it takes" RJ assured Revin, placing his palm on her leg.

"Just promise me one thing" She whispered, staring at the sky.

"Anything"

"Take care of my sister, watch out for her, you know how often she gets into trouble"

"Definitely"

"She's too prideful to ask my parents for help, she needs to trust you, so earn it…please?"

"The way I see it, in some alternate universe, we could have been a couple, and she'd have been my sister-in-law, so I'd do anything for her, you don't have to worry" RJ assured her.

"Thank you RJ" She whispered.

RJ's skycar landed beside Levita's inside the apartment, he didn't see her, so he assumed that she was already inside packing her belongings. He exited the car and slowly made his way into the house, Revin's phantom slacking slowly behind.

"Arjay? Is that you?" Levita shouted, hearing the door console activate.

"Yeah, it's me" RJ answered me.

"And me" Revin whispered, knowing that Levita couldn't hear her anyways.

Levita rushed from around the corner of the kitchen and jumped into RJ's arms, gripping him tightly. She was smiling as she held him, tearing up at the circumstances, for minutes on end. RJ felt uncomfortable, but held Vita back nevertheless, she was his responsibility now. Revin stared at her sister nearly straddling the 3 inch shorter human, she felt extremely sad. She reached out to hug her sister, hand passing through the both of them without incident.

"By the Spirits I missed you so much, I'm so glad you're okay. Vikeni said you went crazy, my parents and I were worried sick"

"I can't tell you how sorry I am for that, I should have been comforting you and your family after Revin… I'm sorry I couldn't be there"

"We all understand, we were dumbfounded when we got the news, but we've cried enough, it isn't what Revin would have wanted. Her funeral is in 4 days, you're coming right?" Vita asked rhetorically.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world" RJ responded.

They both stared at one another in silence for seemingly minutes, and then they walked around the house and met one another at Revin's picture shelf. The shelf was lined with pictures of her parents, Levita, their graduation and military portraits, and a single photo of Revin and RJ in their squad car together. They both stared at all of the memories she had, many of which RJ had been a part of, it brought tears to both of their eyes.

RJ reached his arm upwards and patted the head of the tall Turian, comforting her in the only way he could think to.

"I remember when I was taller than you, at your education graduation. You were so excited to graduate, and start you military career"

"If only we both know what a major disaster that'd turn out to be"

"Don't say that, it wasn't your fault what happened, Revin was proud of you, never forget that" RJ lectured, Revin smiling behind the two hugging beings.

RJ scooped the tall, but light, Turian in his arms and carried her to the sofa facing the wall of pictures. He held her to his chest, making sure she had a visible view of the wall with him. She cried silently, though she smiled simultaneously. This was the moment she'd been waiting for ever since she met RJ at her military convocation, all those years ago. She felt immensely guilty that it took her sister dying for him to get closer to her, that's why she cried, and that's why she smiled.

They hugged one another for minutes on end, it only made RJ feel even guiltier. He'd never forgive himself for abandoning Levita in her time of need, and it was a sin he'd gratefully spend the rest of his life repaying. When they broke apart Vita had a sparkle in her eyes, she smiled for the first time all week. The sight made Revin's phantom happy. She knew in that moment, even if RJ didn't, that Vita's love for him was genuine, one she would try to convince RJ to satisfy.

"Still" RJ said after a while "I'm jealous that you're still so taller than me" He spoke facetiously, making a feux-frowning face.

"I'm fourteen years younger than my sister, you must be shrinking mister" Levita responded.

"Fourteen years, I thought it was eight, you must be getting younger" RJ joked.

"I guess Revin wanted a little sister too late" She said, the both of them now chuckling.

Eventually the pair would return to filling metallic boxes with Revin's belongings, before sending them to the post station, where they'd be transported to her parent's house on Palaven. What once was a tacky abode lined wall to wall with film posters and junk food was now a barren wasteland. The very sight of which prompted Vita to burst into tears once again, and her would be brother-in-law to pick up the pieces.

He carried Vita back to her car, after assuring her that he'd always be there for her, and watched her return to her apartment. Revin approached the Human from behind and hugged him.

"She's in love with you, you know?" Revin spoke, still gripping the Human from behind.

"I had the feeling, I'll have to let her off easy" RJ responded, knowing that it was Revin who was holding him.

"No! I want her to be happy, and you're the only one I trust to make her happy, at least don't burst her bubble, at least until she's ready" Revin begged, turning RJ to face her.

"I promise"

"I don't understand, she's like me, but fourteen years younger, what red-blooded man would resist such a willing princess" Revin joked.

"You were always loyal to me, and I'll always be loyal to you. You'll never leave me, and I'll never leave you" RJ whispered, walking back to his skycar, dragging Revin with him.


	5. We'll Do This Forever

Never Leave Me

By Kachimoochi

Chapter V

We'll Do This Forever

2 Years Ago

Revin and RJ had a day unlike any other. Their day began simply, with Captain Vikeni ordering them to report to a drug den to collect an informant and transport him back to the HQ. Then they had to interview said informant for information concerning a trafficking ring in the local area. They both hoped the CLED would need a day or so to confirm the information, but the lack of bureaucracy both confirmed the intel, and issued a warrant within 3 hours, during which the pair spent responding to a drunk and disorderly.

They suited up in armor and weaponry alongside a strike team unit, and drove in a convoy towards a freight yard which transported the trafficked civilians in appliance crates. Revin summoned an idea to have the informant leak info that the strike team was going to another of the trafficker's fronts, leaving the freight yard slightly less protected. Her intuition paid off handsomely, as only a half dozen guards supervised the slaves, leading to a swift takedown of the operation. Not a single cop or criminal lost their life.

The duo, Revin especially, was greeted to a roaring fanfare after their return to HQ. All except Vikeni gave them a standing ovation for their hard police work, to which they facetiously took a bow alongside each other. Over 30 slaves had been liberated from the bust, some as young as 5 years old, and much of the evidence gathered at the crime scene implicated the involvement of multiple suspects and figures in C-Sec, which would no doubt cause a shakedown of corruption all throughout the Citadel. Some of the other detectives insisted that they all celebrate at a local restaurant, which for whatever reason Revin refused. When RJ and Revin ended their shift, the detectives joked that the two lovebirds had other ways of celebrating their victories.

They weren't necessarily wrong, as Revin and RJ had their own ritual of celebrating their ritual, though it didn't involve romantic escapades as their co-workers thought. Ever since their years as beat cops, they'd frequent a small restaurant on the wealthy side of The Citadel. It wasn't well known, and was very cramped in accommodations, though had generous proportions and served food for all species. The duo would frequent the restaurant at least once a week, and the manager saw to it that they had a private table all to themselves. RJ of course was grateful that his intestines were spared the suffering of a rotten spicy chicken sandwich, and Revin could indulge in high-class Turian dining, at a discount of course.

Neither of the beings ever noticed the subtle hints of starting a relationship both the manager and their co-workers desperately tried to shove in their faces. It was as if the entire universe was trying to get them to be together, but their own insecurities and personalities outweighed such a force.

They arrived at the restaurant at the end of their shift to little fanfare, as they preferred it, their successes piled on after a while anyhow. The Female Drell manager still kept giving them subtle hints, such as placing a rose at their hidden table, and hiring a band to play slow, romantic music as they ate. She'd be disappointed by the results, as neither of them could take a hint, and their incessant talking would drown out the music anyhow.

At any rate, they were both seated and went through the irrelevant motions of perusing the menu for at least ten minutes, before ordering the same food they ordered every week they came there: Tuvic stomach with grilled Cinet sprouts, and Chicken a la Carbonara. The Drell manager would make a final gambit, by intentionally stalling their order to get them to chat with one another, and it was the only endeavor she'd succeed in.

"Dear God, the day we had to day. It's a wonder we're still standing" RJ commented, taking off his suit jacket and resting it against the back of his chair.

"We're the best of the best, a little trafficking and interviewing is nothing to us, after all, I taught you everything you know" Revin joked, sticking her tongue out at her partner.

"Christ! You'll never let me live that down, will you? You graduate the CLED training 5 minutes before me and suddenly you're the authority in my entire career" RJ complained, feigning self-pity.

"Please, I rule your entire life, I'm like the big sister from hell to you" Revin responded, self-aggrandizingly.

The two silently chuckled to each other, not even bothering to pay attention to the band, playing romantic music only a dozen or so feet away. After fiddling with their silverware for a minute or two, Revin looked back up at her companion. She was frightened about what she was about to ask, but she couldn't think of a less awkward time to present such a question.

"RJ?

"Hmm?"

"Do you regret never getting together with someone?" She asked, eyes glued to RJ.

"What do you mean together?" RJ asked, taking a sip of water, after nearly spitting his last sip out.

"Well I've known you for almost 8 years, and in that time, I've never seen you with a girlfriend or anything" She explained, blood rushing to her face, but not visible to RJ.

"Neither have you too" RJ retorted, realizing that the both of them had been single for as long as they could remember. "What brings this up?" RJ asked.

"Yesterday I got a call from one of my friends in the military, she's getting married to someone she's known for 5 years, and it got me thinking. Do you think there's love out there for people like us?" Revin said, revealing the circumstances that caused her question.

"Ah I get you. You're seeing all your school friends getting hitched and it's making you feel jealous, hah hah" RJ joked, not realizing that Revin was taking this topic so seriously.

A single look at Revin's face proved to him how wrong that final comment was. Her face wasn't contorted in anger, as her face would usually be if RJ said something foolish, but rather it was hurt. Revin didn't reveal her emotions so easily, this only served to make RJ feel more like a jackass than he already did.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that" RJ apologized, losing his grin swiftly.

"You said the truth, don't apologize or patronize me, that's one of the only rules I have" She said, taking a sip of the brandy she ordered, RJ was usually the designated driver.

They both sat in silence for a while longer, taking turns staring at the other, and listening to the band start to play a more upbeat tune, giving up hope on a romantic evening for their guests of honor. Revin started to fold her napkin again and again, wondering how long it took to prepare the stomach of a Tuvic. RJ couldn't take the guilt any longer, he thought that by answering her question he'd redeem himself for his insult, it was worth a shot.

"No, I don't" He said.

"What?" She asked, remembering her last question, honestly not expecting an honest answer.

"Think about everyone you've met at C-Sec and CLED, how many of them are either in relationships, or are happy in their present relationships" RJ presented.

Revin spent a minute racking her memory in search of an answer, but as well RJ knew, she'd couldn't find a single example.

"I guess none"

"You know why?"

"Oh boy, let's hear this" She said, leaning her hand upon her hand,

"We live lives where we could die at any time, either in the line of duty, or by a hit from a mob boss. We dedicate every minute of every day to our job, catching bad guys so the good guys can sleep peacefully at night. Even if that means missing our children's births, their dance recitals, and even our anniversaries. Most cops don't like to admit it but I do, this job is my life, and I know this job is your life, we're both in too deep to give up any ground" RJ spoke, absentmindedly, swirling the water in his glass around.

Revin thought about his statement for a good, long while, searching her entire memory for but a single example in which to prove him wrong, but as RJ expected she couldn't. The reason she'd even presented the question was in effort to become closer to her partner, which she'd felt feelings for ever since the day she'd met him.

Ever since they met one another when they were paired up to study at the C-Sec training academy, they'd been inseparable. They'd study together, train together, even go on ride-alongs together. She'd tried to deny the feelings she felt for him, thinking such emotions towards another species to be unnatural, but the more they got to know about each other, she realized that they were more similar than any Human or Turian they'd ever met before.

She then imagined that she presented the question because of a self-fulfilling prophecy. Ever since the day they both arrived at the CLED HQ, they'd be bombarded with cracks about their relationship by the staff and detectives. They both simply laughed at the thought, never believing that they were serious, both comfortable just staying friends forever. Neither of the beings were aware that the other harbored feelings of the other, it would be comical if not for the cosmic tragedy that would follow.

"It's kinda funny don't ya think?" Revin spoke chuckling, coming out of her stupor.

"What is?" RJ asked, returning his attention to Revin instead of burying his secret love for his partner in another glass of water.

"Everybody at the HQ says we're in a secret relationship or some such, and according to them they've never seen partners as close as us. Couple that with the fact that you're so close to my family, and we basically spend every minute of every day with each other, its kind of like we are in a relationship, right?"

"Heh…yeah" RJ spoke awkwardly. "Maybe we found the secret to a having a relationship and being a cop at the same time. Maybe just not focusing on lovey dovey stuff helps keep our focus on our work and each other, we should file a patent or something" RJ said, now equally chuckling with Revin.

They both began to laugh awkwardly with each other, and soon broke out into hysterical cackling, nearly drawing the attention of the entire small restaurant to their table. The female Drell began to smile at hearing the laughter even through the kitchen, could her plan be working?

Soon after their food arrived, after nearly a half hour of stalling by the Drell manager, she gave them a knowing smile as she personally delivered the food to the, though neither of them understood the hint. This was also the point in which Revin began to pound the liquor, hard. She ordered glass after glass of every Dextro Drink available in the restaurant, not paying any attention to her surroundings or caring that she had work in the morning.

RJ would have stopped her, but he was too preoccupied with deciphering the reasoning Revin had introduced the topic they'd been discussing before their food arrived. Why had she asked such a weird question? And why did she imply that they were in a faux-relationship? Was she trying to hint that she liked him? Was he thinking too much into it? Why in the hell is she drinking so much?

"Y'know, I think we'll do this forever!" Revin yelled, eyes darting back and forth, and beginning to slosh her body across the table, trying to get closer to RJ.

"What do you mean?" RJ said, beginning to be scared by the now obviously drunk Revin, he'd never seen her drunk in his life, the warmness of her drunk self was foreign.

"I mean you and me, against the entire world, against kingpins, against slavers, against drug dealers, even against that ass-kisser Vikeni. I think our co-workers are right, we are in a relationship, but one more powerful than love, something even closer" Revin now whispered into her Human partner's ear, breathing alcoholic breath into his canal.

"You're drunk Revin" RJ said as he lightly pushed Revin back into her seat, only for her to spring back up, now almost knocking the table over, and finally collapsing into RJ's seat, her head pressed against her chest"

"I'm serious RJ, it's like we're…I don't know…kindred spirits or something. I've never felt closer to anyone in my entire life, especially my family, it's like we complete each other" She said, staring up at the ceiling of the restaurant, not registering her words to her inebriated brain.

In truth, she drank so much in effort to distract her secret love from her awkward line of questioning. She'd never gotten drunk before in her life, always prioritizing her self-control, but she knew she could trust RJ, and she also imagined he'd chalk up her weirdness to her intoxication. She'd promise herself that she'd reveal her feelings someday, but she had to figure out if she valued her dominant personality more than her love for her partner, neither would be easy to sacrifice, but in was now evident in her mind, both couldn't co-exist.

After her would-be confession to the Human, she fell to the ground in a cascade of hysterical cackling, eventually leading her into unconsciousness. RJ was confused on what had just occurred, he'd never seen Revin drink into unconsciousness, and was worried that something had driven her to it, but he decided to rest on those concerns for the time being, his brain was beside itself with analyzing every minute of the encounter.

He hailed the Drell for the check, which she replied by giving them their customary discount: tearing the bill in half and throwing it in the trash.

"Don't get into too much trouble young ones" The Drell said, as RJ carried Revin to his car.

RJ drove to her apartment, listening to his Turian partner mumble in her sleep, he'd never seen her asleep before either, it was as if after 6 years of friendship, he was seeing a whole different side of his partner, one she'd buried to save face in front of merciless criminals they faced on a day to day basis.

Just as Revin had anticipated, RJ assumed her strange questions had been inspired by the alcohol, thanking god that it was her than him, not imagining what stupid things he'd have said if he were the one drinking. He arrived to her apartment without incident, using his spare key to enter her home and placed her down on her bed. He covered her body with a blanket and exited the house, then driving back to his own penthouse.

RJ didn't sleep a wink that night, too dedicated to deciphering Revin's intentions. Did she love him? Did she know he loved her? Did the constant romantic hazing by their co-workers inspire her to make a move? He didn't know, and he imagined that even though they'd known one another for almost a decade, they were no closer to a relationship then they'd been the day they met. He decided to keep the night's events to himself, imagining that Revin chose the liquor out of embarrassment, even if it met putting off their being together for a time, that is what friends do.

No matter if they would ever be in a relationship, they would always remain friends. Both agreed within their own minds.

RJ arrived at Revin's apartment the next morning to pick her up for work, arriving ten minutes early to make sure she was alright from last night's escapade. Revin stumbled out of her house, with a rag tied to her head, and chugging a canister of water. Evidently the liquor had expected a payment for her emotional escape, and the price to be paid was her first hangover.

She insisted that she was still well enough to work, and RJ knew better than to argue with her when it came to their crime-fighting work. She let herself into his car, and made their way to the CLED HQ.

"I don't remember a thing last night; I must have gotten pretty drunk. The last thing I remember was…uh…something about Vikeni's ass?" Revin moaned, as she closed her eyes, the rapid movement of the skycars in the air make her motion sick.

"You mentioned something about this being our 400th bust, and you wanted to celebrate by getting drunk…I tried to talk you out of it but you wouldn't listen…That should teach you a lesson: Always Listen To RJ" RJ joked, purposely leaving out her semi-confession from the night before.

"Yeah, message received…that's the last time I drink Bocuin Cider with Tuvic stomach, it's a recipe for disaster" Revin decided, closing her eyes and pushing through the massive head ache.

"Oh yeah…we'll do this forever all right" RJ muttered under his breath.

"Huh?"

"Nothing, go back to sleep, I'll wake you up when we get to the HQ"

"Thanks?"

"Sweet dreams featherhead"

"Up yours roundskull"


	6. I Have To Do This For Her

Never Leave Me

By Kachimoochi

Chapter VI

I Have To Do This For Her

It was still the night cycle on The Citadel, and though many were sound asleep, even more were wide awake. It seemed as if the people in charge of the weather cycles on The Citadel unanimously decided to enact a rain protocol. Rain fell upon the floating station by the trillions a second, falling into the top of the bottom portion of the atmosphere, on the lower wards it seemed as if rain was being pulled from the ground.

Of course, ever since Revin Tyuvio's death it seemed as if every night was a rainy night to RJ Clifford. He now rode his unmarked skycar to the Apartment Complex of the Citadel, a massive tenement complex, half for the middle class, and half for the low-income earners, it didn't take a cultural anthropologist to tell one that such a thing was a terrible idea. The Asari, thought to be the main masterminds controlling the Citadel preferred to see the world through rose-tinted glasses, or at least were patient enough to wait a hundred years for the problem to die out, they often would.

About 100 crimes on average were committed within or around the complex every 6 hours, C-Sec preferred to let the inhabitants of the damned, monolithic living spaces to settle their own issues, violently or otherwise. The CLED were the only authority that dared to enter the "No-Go-Zones" that the complex represented, which didn't gain a favorable image with the inhabitants. CLED also had less regulations than C-Sec, meaning concepts like police brutality and the rights of the accused existed in a grey zone. As brutal as it sounds, CLED arrested dozens of criminals and suspects there on a daily basis, it was a breeding ground for crime, but at least the officers would never be out of a job.

RJ couldn't imagine why Revin of all people, who graduated top of her class at the Palaven Academy, and was a model soldier in her required service, would choose to live in an area in which she would always sleep with one eye open. He couldn't imagine an existence where once stared evil in the face as they handcuffed it every day, only to come home to a slum where everyone knows you're a cop, and it's always open season on them.

RJ finally settled on the idea that it was a form of rebellion. Revin came from a moderately wealthy family on her native Palaven, her father was a higher-up in the Hierarchy, while her mother was one of the most successful businesswomen in her entire district. This considered, she lived a very sheltered existence, they quite literally lived in Ivory Towers, never seeing the filth and scum that permeated the undergrounds of Palaven. Maybe it was Revin's inexperience with said filth that inspired her to become a C-Sec officer, and later a CLED officer. She once told him that she didn't speak to her father for an entire year when he tried to bribe her way out of the required military service.

Revin, RJ supposed, was the stereotypical strong and independent female who didn't need anyone's help. This was completely true, save for RJ himself. He didn't think Revin had any friends, and she barely saw her family regularly except for familial functions, it was as if she preferred an existence consisting only of herself and her partner. Hell, maybe that was his personality too, he didn't have any friends either, and living in the shadow of his little brother didn't give him much incentive to make his presence known at familial functions either, they truly completed one another.

"Detective Clifford to Vikeni, come in Vikeni!" RJ called on his virtual intercom, nearing the massive complex.

"What is it Clifford?" The Salarian snapped in response.

"I'm at the complex, which level are you on?"

"You're at the complex? I told you to report to the station, I'm in the middle of the briefing!" Vikeni shouted, drawing the attention of the other detectives in the briefing room.

"Good, then I can get a head start. Now what am I looking for?"

"If you came to the station, I'd tell you"

"Time waits for no man, and neither will I"

"Enough with the semantics, it's level 58 unit 93, be careful and don't contaminate any of the evidence"

RJ punched in the coordinates seconds before he unceremoniously hung up on the Captain. The skycar descended into a preloaded path slowly taxing to a massive elevator for vehicles. This wouldn't be a fast experience, there was a surplus of time before the elevator would descend to the 58th level, and then even more time for the car to taxi to the specific unit. This was the route of visitors of course, regular home owners had their own personalized routes secured with a pin to expedite the process, but RJ possessed none. Even Revin lived on the 7th level, the more middle-class level. If this Milika Yuvora lived on the 58th floor she must have been dirt poor.

It was during this elongated decent that Revin revealed herself once more. She assumed her usual position by sitting in the passenger seat of the car, tilting her head to the sunroof and staring at the artificial stars. RJ always knew she was with him, and being as they had at least 15 minutes to travel to Milika's apartment, he decided to strike up a conversation with his contentious projection.

"Welcome back! You've been rather quiet the ride over" RJ said, a small smirk returning to his face.

"Look, I know I'm usually the free-spirited rebel, but even I realize that this death is probably a coincidence" Revin responded, turning her head back to her partner.

"I don't know, I just have a really good feeling about this, like the same feeling I get when I talk to you, like something is telling be to do this" RJ explained.

"Just don't get youself into trouble on my occount, it wouldn't do either of us any good anymore" Revin stated, returning her gaze to the stars.

They sat in silence for the extra 10 minutes it took to travel through the traffic of the inhabitants until the guiding protocol led them to Milika's apartment. Both beings exited the car and made their way to the front door. RJ despised the façade of the apartments, they were all the same, squares inside of squares inside of squares inside of squares. The sameness, the sensory deprivation, it sickened the Human detective.

Vikeni uploaded the PIN combination for the door console to her apartment, which RJ received and enacted on his Omni-Tool. As soon as he entered the small abode, the lights awoken, displaying the dead Asari's residence.

The apartment was small, as expected for being on the lower levels of the complex. It was a single bedroom apartment with a single bathroom and a small kitchen, the living room took up the majority of the apartment. It was a clean enough room, RJ decided, with foodstuffs laden around the tables and shelves, there were some posters for boy bands upon the walls, yet strangely enough, there were no pictures.

"There aren't any pictures" Revin spoke to her partner. "It's like she didn't live here at all, there's nothing here with her name on it"

"That's what I was thinking, but the apartment is registered to her, maybe she didn't want anyone knowing she lived here"

"Maybe you should have listened to Vikeni, he probably has much more information than we'll find here" Revin reluctantly admitted.

"I'd rather die than live in a world where Vikeni was right" RJ decided.

RJ and Revin continued to peruse the house for any evidence that could have led to the Asari's death, or at least any information that would have brought her to her final destination. Much of the house was still empty, so RJ deduced that she must have moved to either the Citadel or this complex fairly recently. Revin ran her fingers through the main console to her house, looking for relatives or other information. Once she activated the console, which lay on a coffee table in the middle of the living room, she perused the console for Omni calls or appointments.

"I think I found out what occupation our little blue berry had" Revin shouted across the room.

"Well I just checked her closet, there weren't many clothes, and the ones there were may as well have been swimwear only"

"So…guess!" Revin exclaimed.

"Little clothes, no personal information anywhere, found dead in a parking garage…I'm surmising she was either a prostitute or a lawyer" RJ joked.

"What's the difference?" Revin quipped, with a serious look on her face.

"Then she is a prostitute?"

"Oh…yeah! There're hundreds of phone calls very specific about their demands. There are politicians, C-Sec officers, and even…keepers? How's that even possible?" Revin stated, confused.

RJ began pacing the floor for minutes on end, taking turns periodically to search a drawer or box. Revin still checked the Extranet history and Omni calls, she too felt a force telling her to keep looking. The more he paced, the more he saw that this was quite simply cut and dry, prostitutes were killed all over the Citadel on a daily basis, even though the occupation was legal, some still preferred to do it the illegal way. RJ eventually gave up the search and sauntered to the refrigeration unit, picking the only thing inside the unit, a package of square-shaped processed Thessian cheese.

He ate the square slowly, not even caring that he may be contaminating evidence, or some such. What really bothered him was that he was still back to square one, no… square zero. He wasn't any closer to finding who killed his love than he was the minute he was committed. He wouldn't stop of course, he'd continue until his final breath, but now he'd lost a lot of morale, and the square of salty and bitter foreign cheese wasn't doing much to help.

"Well it seems you were right; she was probably killed by an unsatisfied customer or a nutjob or something, nothing to do with you"

"Uh…RJ?"

"I'm going have to look that ass-kisser in his black, soulless eyes and tell him that he was right"

"RJ?!"

"You know he's never going to let me live this down right? He'll probably commit me to another psych ward; he'll say that you're distracting me"

"RJ!"

"See, you are distracting me" RJ joked, coming out of his monologue.

He noticed that the feminine phantom he once called a friend had a scared expression on her face. One probably wouldn't believe a Turian was capable of being scared, or hell, expressing emotions in the first place, but RJ knew her like the back of his hand, and she was scared. She was biting the ends of her first two fingers, as her other hand traced the virtual message coming out of the main console.

"What is it?"

"Look!" Revin whimpered.

RJ took Revin's place in front of the console, and began to trace his finger along the message. It was a transcript of an Omni conversation. The console existed in a sort of green and black matrix as it projected the message out of its projector, which enabled the message and its identities to be revealed. RJ saw immediately what frightened Revin, but he continued reading, and it would come to frighten him too.

**Recording: 6 Months Ago -No response- Legnth: 6 Minutes- Speakers: Milika Yuvora, Revin Tyuvio. Omni communication converted into transcript by Modolo Tech.**

** Revin: So, what did you find out?**

** Milika: That man was crazy! I was scared for my life! You didn't tell me he was dangerous!**

** Revin: Don't worry, you don't know anything, it's me he's looking for.**

** Milika: What do you mean it's you? Why did you make me do this anyways?**

** Revin: I hacked into the camera of your console, I needed to see his face, I didn't expect him to be so violent with you, but I mean…it is your occupation.**

** Milika: I thought your occupation was to arrest scumbags? You should have heard the things he told me at the Kensetus Club, the things he admitted to. I've serviced criminals in my life, that guy was the lowest of the low!**

** Revin: From what I hear, he wasn't always that way.**

** Milika: What do you mean?**

** Revin: Never mind, you did your job, your credits will be transferred by courier, I need to keep this quiet.**

** Milika: Listen! If I'm in danger I need to know. He isn't the kind of guy I want looking for me.**

** Revin: Like I said, this guy doesn't take risks. Just be a bit discriminating with your Turian clientele for the next few months, if you really want to be safe.**

** Milika: Will you be okay?**

** Revin: No. I don't think so. It's all over for me, it's like I'm a totally different person.**

** Milika: You told me how close your partner was, just ask him for help. Certicus will come after him, anyways won't he?**

** Revin: No! I can't let RJ know. This isn't what I wanted…but I have to do this for her, or he'll come after her too.**

** Milika: Who?**

** Revin: Never mind, when were done talking delete this message, and stay safe.**

**Omni Communication End, Transcript by Madolo Tech, subscribe to Premium Version 45.7 Today!**


	7. Did You Just Call Me RJ?

Never Leave Me

By Kachimoochi

Chapter VII

Did You Just Call Me RJ?

RJ just stared at the Omni-Message, for minutes on end, not a single expression appearing on his face.

The Phantom of Revin began to cry silently, this isn't what she was expecting. In truth, she'd felt a similar feeling about this murder, like somehow a force unlike anything she'd ever known was telling her to investigate this apartment.

For a second, just for a second, she'd given up hope that there would be any connection between the once-living Revin and the newly murder victim. She should have known better, when she was alive her greatest instinct was her gut, it was never wrong, and it certainly wasn't now.

RJ still stared at the message, he'd read it at least 5 times now, scouring every letter and syllable for any hint that this was false, but his gut was also always right, and he knew it. He turned his head finally from the Omni-Message to meet Revin's gaze, her eyes still filled with tears as she huddled herself together on a nearby sofa.

"What does it mean?" The Phantom whimpered, clutching her arms in comfort.

RJ didn't answer immediately, he returned his gaze back to the massage, still scouring it for any clues or explanations it may contain.

"RJ?" Revin asked again.

"I-I don't know" He answered, still keeping his gaze on the message.

Revin regained control of her emotions, clearing her eyes of tears and stood up from the sofa, and made her way over to the catatonic human. His eyes showed massive amounts of fright, unable to keep his eyes from racing across the entire screen in search of something, anything to explain this.

"What did you do?" RJ asked ominously.

"I don't remember any of this, I swear!" Revin choked out.

RJ still continued to scour the message until it started to hurt, and only then did he stop. He limped over to the sofa Revin had been seated at, feeling as if he'd been shot in the heart and head simultaneously. Revin sat beside him, not close, but just beside him. Their gazes were fixed to their feet, each being doing their best to decipher what they'd just read.

"Does this mean I knew my killer?" Revin pondered aloud.

"It…it looks like it" RJ said, still staring at his feet.

"I swear I don't remember anything; I just remember waking up in an alleyway, knowing that I was a ghost or something, and then following you when you stormed out of the ambulance, I don't remember anything" Revin sobbed.

RJ continued to stare at his feet, until he turned his gaze to the sobbing Revin, covering her eyes. He scooted over on the sofa to her and attempted to hold her, to comfort her. As usual, his arms passed through her body like thin air, he still couldn't do anything to help.

This is what bothered RJ most about their situation, no matter how long they talked, how many jokes they told, how real their dialogue seemed, Revin was dead, and all of this was in RJ's head.

When Revin raised her head to meet RJ's disappointed gaze, she sobbed even harder, knowing that her love couldn't comfort her, when she needed it most. Minutes passed once more, and eventually Revin fell out of her sorrow, or at least transitioned into soft whimpers. RJ was as catatonic as he was when he read the message, just staring at the hands he tried to cover his love with, only to pass through the apparition.

"The Club!" RJ finally said.

"What?" Revin croaked.

RJ stumbled out of the sofa, the feeling coming back into his legs after not moving them for some time. He directed his stupor back to the console which hid the revealing message. RJ reopened the console and found the message, and then began to scrutinize each line, finding something he'd seen, something for them to follow.

"The Kensetus Club!" RJ finally said aloud, his attention still on the message.

"What about it?" Revin asked, walking slowly to join him.

"See here, Milika mentioned meeting somebody in the message there, and it sounds like you hired her to find somebody there" RJ explained, motioning Revin to scour the message with him.

"I don't remember any of this, I've heard of The Kensetus Club, but I've never been there, and I certainly don't know anybody there" Revin explained.

"Then let's go there and put our minds at ease" RJ said, already walking out the door.

As he was about to cross the threshold, he stopped in place and froze. He looked back at the center of the room, Revin stared back at him, wondering what got his attention. RJ walked to the center console and downloaded Revin's final message to Milika onto his Omni-Tool, and then deleting the original copy. He didn't want anyone to know about Revin's alleged involvement in what was otherwise a confirmed murder. However, doing so would also damn Milika's case to most likely be ruled a suicide, unless he was quick at finding the culprit and eliciting a confession.

Would RJ be willing to cross this line? Would he withhold evidence to redeem his old friend which now only exists in his diseased and broken consciousness?

That question doesn't truly necessitate an answer, does it?

RJ stormed out of the apartment, whilst fiddling with his Omni-Tool. Poking one key after another, soon his unmarked police car exited itself from a parking garage and presented itself in front of Milika's apartment.

RJ quickly boarded the hovering, black vessel, waiting a minute for Revin to catch up with him. He didn't see a shadow or any other sigh of Revin exiting the room, it didn't take long to figure out why. Revin was a figment of his imagination, she could be anywhere he wanted her to be, he just had to think.

RJ closed his eyes and imagined Revin in the seat next to him. He imagined her fiddling with the protective belts and how it chafed into her neck plates. He imagined her back-armor hump constantly flip-flopping her body with any sudden movement. Finally, he imagined the small smirk on her face that she'd give him in the passenger seat, the look that said "We'll do this forever" it was a look he'd never forget.

When RJ reopened his eyes, Revin was there with the same smirk waiting for him. At that moment it felt as if nothing had changed in the first place. He felt so natural, it was like the old days, when they'd find a clue or lead and smile to one another, knowing that a criminal was on the run from them. It was a cat and mouse game for the, they'd always win, it was just a matter of time.

"Maybe this wasn't so bad" RJ thought to himself.

He wasn't completely wrong after all, even though to everybody else he was on his own, it was as if RJ was sharing his body with an equally intelligent being. Nobody else besides Vikeni knew that Revin still appeared to him, and he was good at keeping secrets in the first place. This would be alright, he'd never be away from her, wherever RJ went Revin would follow. She would exist eternally in his imagination.

He copied Revin's trademark smirk and gave it back to her. Next, he opened the console in the car and opened a comm to Captain Vikeni. Chances are him and a squad of other detectives were already on the way to investigate Milika's house looking for foul play clues or some such. RJ could only fathom how livid he'd be when he found out he was interrogating suspects or otherwise investigating leads he didn't share, but he'd face it when Revin's murderer was either captured or killed. He honestly hadn't decided which he'd prefer.

"Car #33 to HQ! Come in Vikeni" RJ shouted through the comm link.

"EVERYBODY QUIET DOWN! What is it RJ!?" The Captain screamed, obviously losing control of his own briefing, he wasn't as authoritative as he thought.

"I need you to send me directions and maps of The Kensetus Club" RJ said while maneuvering his unmarked skycar through the maze leading to the outside Citadel.

"Why the hell are you going to a strip joint on in the lower wards?" Vikeni said aloud, eliciting a chuckle from the listening briefing staff.

"Well you answered my second question, but I still need directions to the Club, I'm following a lead" RJ excused.

"Wait, give me that!" The Salarian exclaimed to another presence. "Let me see here…The Kensetus Club? That's where Milika worked, did you find something in her apartment?" VIkeni asked.

"Eh…it's complicated, it's more of a hunch than anything. I'm trying to establish a timeline and profile, I guess" RJ said, thinking quick on his feet, Revin offering mischievous faces in agreement to the comm.

"I've already sent uniforms there two days ago, do you think we missed something?"

"Uh…I can't really say, like I said it's more of a hunch" RJ stammered, now running out of clever excuses.

"Fine, I'm sending you directions, but you better not screw me on this Clifford, and it better not be "Revin's" idea either"

"You're a beautiful man Vikeni, and hey?"

"What!"

"Did you just call me RJ?" RJ said facetiously, Revin's phantom bursting out into silent laughter.

The Salarian's response was a simple and abrupt disconnection of the comm channel, leaving Vikeni to the mercy of at least a dozen curious detectives hungry for gossip.

RJ and Revin shared a giggle as the coordinated automatically imputed their route through Vikeni's directions, allowing RJ to deactivate the manual piloting protocol, and offer him a chance to relax.

In about a half hours' time, the sky car made its way to a modestly sized club in the lower wards of the Citadel. It was around 7 stories tall and had a neon atmosphere, ironically it was considered a classier place than most establishments in the Lower Wards.

The façade of the club was written in red, neon Turian characters, a language that RJ had never seen nor knew how to translate. His Omni-Tool translated the warped and angular characters at The Kensetus Club. Revin told RJ that it was a slang dialect of her language, a "bastardization" as she called it.

Such a bastardization was due to the proprietors of the establishment, or rather the gang that represented the proprietors of the establishment: The Bane. Much of the Lower Wards was controlled unequivocally and undeniably by gangs, usually centered around a certain species.

Asari called their gang "The Revival": a new-fashioned gang of 200-year-old hipsters masquerading as gangsters, dying their scalp crests wild colors and singing aggressive, beat-less music and poetry. This wasn't to say they didn't have muscle, much of their bread and butter was made by the drug trade, but with many of the higher-ups of the gangs being the children of politicians, progress in their turn was time-consuming. Although, the Asari always had time on their side.

Humans called their gang "The Crucifiers": a similar gang to that of the old-Earth mobsters. They dressed in old fashioned shirts, ties, and pants, all made of authentic materials not mass-produced by modern convenience. As their moniker suggested, their method of discipline resulted usually in crucifixion, leading many to believe them to be either devil-worshipers or emos, they dealt mainly in illicitly gained weapons. They didn't actually call themselves The Crucifiers, but most translators didn't translate their original name, and the street tag by committee seemed to gather more notoriety, which they certainly wouldn't refuse.

There was an up and coming gang led by the Elcor, calling themselves "Colossus". They existed in a legal grey area, specializing in stolen merchandise and counterfeit goods, mainly luxury goods. They were enforced by indentured Vorcha or other mercenaries, all of which enjoyed the legal protection from the law the Elcor were able to obtain. Nobody usually muscled in on their territory, as their business didn't normally overlap with the others. The Citadel law held many loopholes that the Colossus took advantage of, and as far as RJ was concerned, they could have been much worse.

Finally, the Turians called their gang "The Bane": a society of anarchists and revolutionaries trying to reform the so-called oppressive rule of The Hierarchy. What little support for reform they gathered, they destroyed in their incessant mass murders, kidnappings, extortions, and most infuriatingly to Revin, the revision of the Turian native tongue, as their current language was labeled a language of oppression. Most Turians couldn't understand the revised language, and was now mostly seen as a joke in the eyes of the galaxy, not that they weren't dangerous all the same.

Through it all, the three co-existed in relative peace. Though the gangs would accept any reason to slaughter the other, the last gang war had ended in a cease-fire lasting for 4 years and counting. It seemed that no matter how loyal the gangs were to their turf, death was costly, and business trumped all, no matter the life cost. Most of the gangsters in the respective tribes weren't intelligent enough to realize their mortal folly, but it didn't truly disturb RJ, their mistakes kept him employed after all.

Obviously, The Kensetus Club was property of The Bane, not legally, but by proxy. He had RJ had to go in, but he needed to keep his head on a swivel, not taking even the most innocent of chances. The Bane was undoubtably the most fanatical and ruthless of the four gangs, they didn't fight for money, they fought for an ideology, which made them the most dangerous. They didn't take kindly to humans, save for the ones they employed, so RJ acknowledged that he had to be careful of who he interrogated.

He parked the skycar in the parking lot of the club, opening both doors for himself and the Phantom to disembark. Before he left for the club, he reached into a hidden compartment in the skycar and withdrew a pistol. It was a 2243 model Mauser repeater, more for style than substance, but it certainly gave off a "Keep Your Distance" vibe. It fit largely on RJ's magnetic hip holster, and as far as he was aware it was legal for law enforcement to carry arms on the Citadel.

RJ and Revin made their way to the entrance of the club, which was protected by a sizable Krogan bouncer. As they made their way, Revin decided to ask a question relating to their current search.

"So…who're we looking for?" Revin asked, as they walked slower to the entrance.

"In the message you seemed to hire Milika to eh…confirm the identity of a Turian…I think. First, we'll press the employees for info about Milika, then we'll search for the Turian" RJ recited, rereading the message on his Omni-Tool.

The pair approached the threatening Krogan, dressed in elegant combat armor guarding the door. He had a gruff expression on his face, one that read "I hate my job, I should be out eating babies instead".

"30 Credit cover" The Bouncer moaned.

"I think this will cover it" RJ said, presenting his Omni-Badge.

The Krogan gripped RJ's arm and brought it closer to his eyes, studying each edge and inscription on the official Detective badge, finding it to be genuine he beckoned the lone Human to enter the club.

"Be careful around these parts pal, the bosses don't take too kindly to CLED" The Krogan whispered as RJ passed through.

"Thanks for the tip" RJ replied.

RJ took a few steps before noticing that Revin wasn't with him, remembering his last technique, he closed his eyes and repeated the motions. He imagined her standing beside him admiring the décor, whilst simultaneously scoffing at the half naked women dancing in the cages above. When RJ opened his eyes again, she was doing just that.

"What? This ain't your kind of place?" RJ joked.

"No! it's just that…those cages…there's something familiar about them…I don't know…let's just get back to work" Revin decided, still tilting her head to the sky, or rather the ceiling.

The Kensetus Club was a classy joint, as far as classy joints went on The Lower Wards. The building at one time in The Citadel's history may have been a dance hall, or something obviating intricate craftsmanship and fanciful designs. Such class was buried underneath sweaty bodies, spilled liquor, and Bane graffiti.

Women of every species danced either in the center dance floor, or within cages dangling from the ceiling. Some sauntered around the establishment alongside Turian mobsters, tripping over their own feet, obviously on drugs. A real classy joint after all.

Where would RJ start?


	8. Practicing Pick-Up Lines

Never Leave Me

By Kachimoochi

Chapter VIII

Practicing Pick-Up Lines

RJ stood in his place for about a minute, scoping out the entire club environment, the dangers, the escapes, the taps, the essentials. Revin was beside him, she did much of the same though her attention was strongly drawn to the women in cages. She didn't find it arousing obviously, but something about them reminded her of a distant memory, or a distant thought, either way she couldn't take her eyes off of the over-sized bird cages of debauchery.

"You sure know how to pick them, don't you Revin?" RJ said in an accusatory tone.

"Don't blame me, I don't remember any of this!" Revin blurted, defending herself instantaneously.

Dropping the subject, RJ returned to his objective at hand. His first priority being to scout the environment for potential threats, in other words, Bane gangsters. As he recalled in the dozen or so anti-profiling PSAs he was forced to view when he worked in C-Sec, the "angel" on RJ's shoulder told him not to assume all Turians were part of the gang. CLED however had a brutal way of opening one's eyes to reality.

In RJ's experience, Turians were some of the most loyal and dangerous creatures in the galaxy. Never had he ever arrested or detained an innocent Turian, but many times he'd have to intervene in Turian vigilante justice against a dishonorable member of their race. Throughout his experiences in the Galaxy, he'd made friends with many Turians, most certainly Revin, Levita, and their parents. Revin's father in fact, once said to RJ, under the influence of a bit of Brandy, that he considered RJ the son he'd never had.

All this was to say that Bane Turians stood out like sore thumbs. If they already weren't harassing ordinary Turians or vice versa, they always traveled in groups and wore purple face markings. The Bane was a multicultural gang, any Turian from any clan could join, they needed only to paint over their clan markings with purple ink. Ordinary Turians took drastic care to make certain they weren't associated with the pariahs, meaning that when you noticed a Turian with purple face markings, they were usually associated with the Bane.

C-Sec of course, insisted that it wasn't enough.

That didn't make RJ's observations any easier, as seemingly every Turian in the room was marked in purple. In fact, it may be the only oasis for the Bane gang in the Lower Wards. Everybody from the bartenders to the cage dancers were marked in purple. The only salvation for RJ would be to communicate with a non-Turian, but then again there was no guarantee that they weren't allies of that gang as well.

"We're going to have to be careful about this, this wouldn't be an easy mess to get out of" RJ stated to his companion.

"No worries! I've gotten us out of much worse, remember that undercover mission with the Blue Suns?" Revin responded confidently.

"That's the thing Revin, I'm afraid I can't lean on your charms anymore" RJ whispered dreadfully.

Unbeknownst to him, a figure began to approach the pair, trotting silently whilst maneuvering through the gyrating crowds of drunks and junkies. The being sneaked behind the bar and walked towards the exit of the club, turning around, it inched ever closer to the ragged human whispering to himself.

"Practicing pick-up lines?" The figure whispered into RJ's ear, softly and sultry.

Instinctively, RJ dashed in small distance in front of him and turned violently and fast, pressing his left hand against his thigh in preparation for attack. In hindsight this was one of the dumbest moves he could have made, only an ex-soldier, mercenary, or cop would perform such a move, none of which were especially welcome in the Kensetus Club.

RJ's only saving grace was that most of the management and patrons were too drunk and stoned to notice.

As RJ's body began to still, in a vain attempt to hide his occupation, he took notice of the being which penetrated his personal bubble. The being was an Asari, possessing a seductive smirk on her face, and raised, penciled-in eyebrows. She was dressed conservatively for Asari standards, meaning that most of her assets were covered by clothes, tight black clothes, but clothes nevertheless.

RJ was no rookie, he knew that of all the dangerous beings and creatures in the known galaxy, Asari were at the top on both lists. Many a man met their ends distracted by the supple curves of the omnisexual race, Asari certainly weren't above using their bodies and their minds to achieve their means. The only thing that kept RJ from attacking her was an interest on her intensions, coupled with his present environment.

"What?" RJ spoke lowly but desperately.

"You were talking to yourself, I assumed you were working up lines to charm me with" The Asari beamed confidently.

RJ had experienced responses similar to this. He'd imagined that pretending that Revin didn't exist in public would become second nature when he left the asylum, but he only found himself talking to her more and more. Sometimes he'd be at his desk staring into a space beside it whispering to the air, and other times he'd be at a crime scene or interviewing a witness, and occasionally turn his head and whisper behind his shoulder. It raised a few eyebrows, but he got away with it most of the time, but it never stopped hurting when someone busted his bubble. That Revin was dead, and he only talked to her phantom, a figment of his imagination.

Before RJ could offer a witty response, or command her to piss off, the Asari in the body-hugging black cocktail dress approached him almost as fast as RJ had dashed away from her. She placed her chin upon his left shoulder and brought her mouth to his ear. She began chewing gently on his earlobe before whispering in his ear.

"I know who you are, I can help. Hold my hand and follow my lead" her voice emphasized with seriousness, a contrast from her previous bubbly and flirtatious voice.

She gave a final nibble on his earlobe before gripping his hand and turning away from him. RJ wasn't entirely fazed by this sudden turn of events, he'd gone through similar charades with many of his informants, none of which had ever found his earlobe delicious. As if to add insult to injury, as RJ was being led away by this mysterious Asari, he noticed Revin scowl as he was being feasted upon.

The daisy-chained beings meandered through the drunken mob of club patrons, sloshing their bodies about in what the Citadel would label "interpretive, substance-induced dancing", before making their way to a secluded room. The room was guarded by a sizable Batarian bouncer, and with a simple wave of the hand from the Asari, he opened the door, allowed the employee and customer through, and hung a "do not disturb" sign on the curtains covering the door.

It became clear to RJ that the Asari who had usurped his investigation was indeed an employee of the Kensetus Club, undercover or otherwise. Being that she was acquainted with the bouncer and had led him to a private room obviated the Asari's job role in the club, RJ also acknowledged that her sort were more often than not the prime sources of information.

The Asari beckoned RJ to take a seat, which RJ accepted. Now that the charade had been completed perhaps RJ could finally acquire some information of what he'd found in Milika's apartment. Revin had taken a seat beside RJ on the sofa which he sat on; a scowl still stitched to her face.

"Now that we won't be interrupted, may I interest you in a drink?" The Asari offered, her voice sounding much less confident, and much more somber.

"I had plenty before I came, I'd like to know now who you are, and why you brought me here" RJ retorted, wanting to set himself as the authoritative presence in the encounter. He wasn't as experienced in it as he'd hoped, that was usually Revin's role. She was the bad cop, he was the good cop.

The Asari overpoured her glass with some colorful alcohol from a nearby alcohol closet before walking to a sofa facing opposite to RJ. She made herself comfortable, seemingly ignoring RJ for a minute as she enjoyed the chemical bliss offered by her alcoholic concoction. Eventually RJ received his answer, and it would only drag him further down the rabbit hole.

"My name is Buija Yuvora, if I'm not mistaken your investigation my mother, Milika's murder, as well as your partners" She said dismissively, only making eye contact with the ice cubes in her drink.

RJ froze, a chill raising the hairs on his arms under his leather jacket. Revin's maw hung open, evidently this wasn't something either of them were aware of.

"That's not true, the report says Milika didn't have any children, wouldn't she be too young anyways?" RJ presented, thinking he'd caught the Asari in a trap.

"That's because legally I'm her sister, it wasn't something she liked talking about" Buija explained, between sizable gulps of her drink.

RJ stared at her in confusion, before turning his eyes to the ground in contemplation. Revin did much the same, until the explanation began to make sense.

"So…she was…y'know…trafficked?" Revin asked, which RJ spoke.

A single tear began to drop from the Asari's face, not a sob or even a whimper, just a tear. Buija wiped it with a finger and stood up to pour herself another drink. RJ stood just as she did and stopped her by putting a hand on her shoulder.

This wasn't an uncommon occurrence in the galaxy at large.

It was a common practice of Batarian slavers to mark their captured property, usually in the most permanent way possible, and usually with Asari. It wasn't just a way to pacify them, pregnant women don't tend to fight their captors, but also a way to permanently enslave their victims.

In order to preserve the dignity of the families when the slaves were either repurchased or liberated, The Citadel government agreed to legally declare the children of the underage slaves as siblings. It might have caused problems in the future, but they higher-ups must have figured the former slaves had suffered enough.

It might have been the only time in which RJ had ever seen The Citadel government be logically merciful to those who deserved it, a very uncommon occurrence.

"But I was under the impression that Asari could only get pregnant if they wanted to?" RJ blurted out, not thinking about the timing of such an uncomfortable question.

The Asari gently shoved RJ's hand back, before returning to the alcohol cabinet and pouring herself another drink. She sipped this one a little more carefully, as if no longer needing the instant pain relief, and simply wanted to sustain her current bliss.

"It's a common misconception, Asari can choose in the moment whether or not to accept the growth of a child, but if their minds are inebriated with drinks, drugs, or sedatives, our minds don't recognize the mechanism, and our biology assumes the answer is yes" Buija answered as if she were a biology teacher, RJ assumed she'd given this speech many times to those she'd told, meaning she'd memorized the entire explanation word by word.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean-" RJ began his pathetic excuse of an apology.

"Don't worry about it, we were kind of like sisters anyways, and like I said…she didn't like to talk about it" Buija said more gently, placing her hand on RJ's shoulder as he had done to her, eliciting yet another scowl from Revin.

The two returned to their seats on the opposite sofas, Buija continued to sip her drink slowly, as RJ simply stared in response. He was unsure of how to continue this conversation, as he usually let Revin handle the interviews.

Sensing his uncomfortableness, Revin took control of the process, through RJ, and asked the questions from then on. It wasn't exactly like he traded his conciusness for hers, rather he just parroted Revin's words as his own.

"Well, you're right I am investigating you sister's death. I have reason to believe that a Turian called Certicus may be responsible for her death, do you know of anybody by that name?" Revin asked as RJ.

"We don't ask for names here, but I think I may have something that helps. About a month ago we were scheduled to entertain a singular Turian client, but when the guest arrived, my sister insisted on servicing him herself" Buija recalled, eyes shut in remembrance.

"That was out of the ordinary?"

"My mother and I were a "dual act", we would put on make up and matching outfits and pretend to be twins, it was our signature" Buija spoke, carefully choosing her words to save her dignity.

"I'm assuming this Turian wasn't much too pleased to only receive half of his purchase?"

"My mother convinced me to call in sick, so the club gave him a discount. Afterword, when I tried to talk to her about it, she simply said it was somebody she'd met before and didn't want knowing she had a "sister", I knew she was lying, but I didn't push it"

"Did you see this Turian, could you describe him?'

"They all kind of blend together after a while, especially in this business. But I do remember he didn't have purple markings, they were either red or cyan, and he wore standard Turian armor plating, like the sort you find at a thrift shop or something."

Revin who had been sitting close to RJ feeding him lines, stopped immediately in shock. RJ had done something similar; he knew that Revin had a cyan and red face mark too, but didn't immediately assume they were connected.

"RJ!" Revin began. "This doesn't make any sense, I come from one of the most prestigious tribes in all of Palaven, it is an excommunicable crime to be seen in a place like this, let alone wearing clothes from a thrift store"

"Everybody falls on hard times" RJ offered a potential explanation "besides, how did you get away with doing those things?"

"Everybody knew I was a rebel; besides I was part of a police force, everybody assumed it was part of my duty. Most of my tribe are politicians or entrepreneurs, they have their own strip clubs, the other Turians would beat the hell out of them, for intruding"

RJ returned his attention to the Asari he was interviewing, putting the description in the back of his mind to decipher later. When he returned his eye contact, Buija had a puzzled look on her face, like RJ had done something strange. RJ analyzed the past few seconds and realized that he'd talked to Revin in public, and obviously Buija saw him talking to himself.

"Uh…are you okay?" Buija asked.

"Uh…yeah, I talk to myself sometimes, it helps me remember things sometimes. Anyways, um… how did you know that I was a detective?"

"I was getting to that, about a week ago, like two days before Milika was killed, she came to me before work looking worried. I noticed and asked her what was wrong, but she just brushed it off as stage fright, in this business you lose stage fright very quickly. Then before we left for our shift, just out of nowhere, she gave me a picture of you, and said that sometime soon you'd show up looking for me."

RJ nodded his head with every sentence, taking in the ridiculous conspiracy that was slowly but surely making sense.

"I assumed you were a V.I.P. or something, but after she died, I put two and two together. Most people here can smell a cop from a mile away, but as long as they think you're in here enjoying me, you'll probably be okay"

RJ's worst fear had come true, one would think that after masquerading as criminals for drug deals and such for ten years would make a cop a master of disguise, but the Bane were a whole different animal. Buija had a point however, as long as his alibi was enjoying Buija's single act, nobody would bother him, he might even leave alive.

"Thank you for telling me this, I don't know how far this guy's hands reach. Do you have a safe place to stay for the next couple of days?" RJ asked, standing up and making his way to the door.

"Yeah, Milika and I lived in separate tenements, most people didn't even know we were sisters, I'll be okay. We fought the entire world off together with each other, I'll find a way to do it by myself"

RJ activated his Omni-Tool and prepared to give the Asari some credits, either for an informant fee, or a prostitute fee cover, either way he thought he should give her something.

Buija activated her Omni-Tool and rejected the payment, before walking closer to the blond-haired, baggy-eyed, scruffy detective.

"Keep it, you can pay me in another way. Promise you'll kill the son of a bitch who killed my mother!" She whispered angrily.

Buija gripped RJ's shoulders firmly and leaned in fast. She pressed her lips against his and closed her eyes. The kiss lasted for an entirety of ten seconds, it wasn't one of love or romance, but one of "good luck". Especially since RJ didn't close his eyes, and had a shocked expression as Buija preformed the motions with her lips.

In fear, RJ turned his eyes to the left to see Revin livid. Her eyes were squinted, her maw agape, and was vibrating in abject rage. RJ broke off the kiss, thanked her for her time, and exited the private room, discretely wiping his face with his jacked sleeve.

"Don't keep me waiting next time" Buija said poking her head out of the room, returning to her preset persona of club prostitute, to which RJ simply nodded and walked away.

As he stood in front of the room about to exit, he noticed Revin standing in front of him blocking his path. Paired with her murderous scowl, her arms were crossed and her feet firmly planted on the ground. RJ had never seen her so mad before.

"Don't give me that look, I didn't even enjoy it!" RJ squeaked awkwardly.


	9. Equally Reliable Source

Never Leave Me

By Kachimoochi

Chapter IX

Equally Reliable Source

RJ was left standing in the center of a dance floor, surrounded by dozens of bodies. He remained still for a period, but he wasn't sulking as he normally did. He was reenergized with purpose, he felt that it was only a matter of time before he found Revin's murderer, who ever he was. The closest lead RJ had was a Turian named Certicus, dressed in shabby clothes, and wore the facial markings similar to that of Revin's: high class.

Revin stood beside him, still glaring at her partner for the impromptu display of affection given to him by his impromptu informant. Still, it seemed that she herself was instilled with vigor as well.

Though she was confused by this new feeling. She didn't know what would happen when she found who killed her. Was it somebody she knew? What would happen to her then? Would RJ relieve himself of the guilt? Would that mean he wouldn't need her anymore?

If that were the case, Revin wished that neither RJ or herself ever found who killed her. An eternity of doubt was worth an eternity with her love, Revin supposed.

Both beings were knocked out of their victorious stupor by a tintinnabulation emanating from RJ's Omni Tool. Already deducing who it was, RJ discreetly made his way through the sea of gyrating bodies until he reached a restroom. He entered the dingy cistern through the automatic door, placing a hacking lock upon the door as he entered.

It would be certain death if anyone knew who he was, and especially who he was talking to.

Not even bothering to inquire who it was, RJ preemptively shouted quietly into the receiver of his tool

"Vikeni you walking carrot! Now is not a good time! This had better be good!"

The comment resulted in a massive eruption of laughter from the other end of the call, no doubt from the dozens of eavesdropping detectives still in the middle of Vikeni's infamously long briefings.

"Don't dare insult your superior officer! Understand!" Vikeni shouted. "I am just about to close the briefing; do you have any newly acquired information from your little jaunt to the strip club?

"Close the briefing?" RJ said surprised, opening a time application on his Omni Tool, "I've been here for almost an hour and a half!"

"What's your point?"

"I imagine the concept of a briefing is to be "brief", what did you do? Give a masterclass on ass-kissing?"

The erupting guffaws following RJ's quit elicited a small smirk from the smug detective, and left Revin's phantom clutching her belly on the floor, unable to control her breathing from uncontrollable laughter.

"Enough! Do you have information or don't you!?" Vikeni finally roared, tired of the constant digs, let alone the "ass-kissing" comment which he was sensitive about.

"As luck would have it, yes I do. I've got a possible suspect in the death of the Asari, I've got a Turian Male, Cyan and Red face markings, and wearing shabby clothes"

"Cyan and-?" Vikeni began before being interrupted.

"I know, like Revin's, but my source is good for it, and I've been told by an equally reliable source that no Turian with those markings would ever wear shabby clothes" RJ finished.

"An equally reliable source?" Vikeni inquired with an accusatory tone.

"Yeah, I'd bet my life on it"

"Do you have any clue how vague that description is?"

"I have a name too: Certicus"

"I'll run it through the database, but for now you are to report back to HQ, your shift is almost over and you have another appointment with the grief counselor tomorrow"

"Aye Aye sir, Clifford over and out" RJ moaned at the news, while disconnecting his Omni Tool.

Vikeni, taken aback by the sudden disconnection, gruffly closed the communication application before turning his attention back to the crowd of detectives he was in the middle of giving orders to.

"What are you all gawking at! Meeting adjourned, I'm putting an APB on a suspect, get out to your cars an I'll upload directions from there! Dismissed!" Vikeni shouted, contorting his voice into a more authoritative form.

"Right away, ass-kisser!" A detective shouted in response, eliciting yet another thundering of laughing and applause from their fellow officers.

Vikeni, with a frozen glare upon his face shooed the detectives out of the briefing room, before returning to the database to search for the possible suspect described by his worst rival, and admittingly finest detective.

RJ, sensing that his job was done for the time being, unlocked the bathroom door and stealthily sauntered to the exit of the Kensetus Club. He was eyed by a dozen Bane members or so, but they were too preoccupied by women of little virtue and decadent substances to pay much attention.

He staggered out of the door, before regaining his footing and jaunting back to his unmarked skycar. The Krogan bouncer didn't appear to pay him much mind either. RJ embarked his vessel and started to steadily rise into the air, and as he entered in the preset path for the CLED HQ, his car joined a seemingly endless line of other cars in the sky, like a group of ants marching one after the other.

As his car began to pilot itself to his chosen destination, RJ repeated the action he had done as he left Milika's apartment. He closed his eyes and imagined the interior of the car, as if he hadn't closed them. He imagined another time, years ago, himself driving, and the love of his life and the scourge of the underworld beside him, no doubt telling a bad joke or complaining about a vid she saw in the cinema the weekend before.

That was usually how RJ and Revin spend their rides to the HQ, after he picked her up. It seemed so valuable now that she was gone, in the moment RJ never thought anything of it, just another ride to work. He never imagined that such a mundane act which he participated in almost 300 days a year would be memories he ingrained into his consciousness; they were more valuable than his next breath.

And when he opened his eyes once more, Revin was in the seat beside him, giving him her signature smirk

"We'll do this forever" RJ thought.

RJ's skycar parked itself in the garage of the HQ, and he and Revin took the elevator to the main offices of the HQ building to report to Vikeni. The HQ wasn't as big and glamourous as C-Sec's, though legally CLED was slightly more than a private security corporation, much like the Pinkerton Agency from RJ's native Earth. Though it was the HQ for the entire agency, it was the smallest of its locations across The Citadel. There were larger offices located on the Lower and Middle Wards, but on the Upper Wards, crime was minimal, so security was minimal.

After some time, the slow elevator which RJ was long since tired of complaining about arrived on the main office near the archives, where RJ hoped to meet Vikeni and finally learn the identity of the Turian whom killed his partner, his love.

As RJ approached Vikeni who was standing behind a data terminal, the Salarian addressed him without even turning,

"I haven't found anything yet before you ask"

"Nice to see you too" RJ snapped back, "What do you mean nothing? I've spent twenty minutes getting here"

"I'm sorry to disappoint you Clifford, but you have given this "Walking Carrot" a very vague description of this "Certicus", I'm left with no choice but to scour the entirety of the flight logs to see if any of the 400,000 Turians who had arrived since last month are our suspect, so excuse me if I am a little short tempered"

RJ lowered his eyes to his feet, amazed that he felt a twinge of guilt towards his jobsworth of a captain. Say what you want about him, he'd work himself into the grave, but he at least hoped he'd get a promotion at his funeral.

"L-look, I'm-" RJ began.

"Yeah yeah, I know. I mean, if this has something to do with Revin, I guess I'd be as stressed out as you are" Vikeni said in a more neutral tone, finally turning to face his detective.

Such a small, miniscule display of comradery was shared between the two men, and the phantom eavesdropping on the entire conversation.

"Still" Vikeni started once more, "I'd rather be in your shoes, I'll have to spend the rest of the night trying to find a match, all you have to do is go to a therapy session with that attractive Asari therapist and go home…must be nice"

RJ turned away, running his finger against a terminal in a way to distract himself. Revin's hearing organs perked up at this, she had never seen a therapy appointment with RJ before. He had told her that he wished to take them privately, and that he didn't want to be distracted when answering her questions.

After all, if it were discovered that a working detective was speaking to the "ghost" of his dead partner, the fallout would be unimaginable.

And wait a moment, did Vikeni say she was attractive?

"I don't know what more I can tell her; I've been with her for more sessions than I can count and it seems like she is just dancing around Revin's death"

"Has she asked about your "phantom"?"

"No, I never let on about it"

"Y'know I am worried about you, I mean I don't know if this ghost is real, of if your going insane, but I'm not so sure that finding who killed Revin is going to stop it happening"

"That's the thing Vikeni" RJ said, as he began to walk out of the archives, "I don't think I want it to stop happening"

**6 Hours Later**

Dr. Yuibo and RJ sat opposite one another in wicker chairs in a small, white room with artificial sunlight bouncing off of artificial plants, doing their best to create a calming atmosphere. To RJ, they didn't have the desired effect.

"Well Mr. Clifford, how has your week been thus far?" The Asari doctor began.

RJ, eyes drooping a bit from the singular hour of sleep he'd gotten since he left his shift shook his face to attention and prepared to answer.

"Well, same as always I guess, I was following up on a lead that I think may be liked to Revin's murder, but… I guess now its just a matter of time"

The doctor took a moment to type a note into her datapad, before addressing her patient once more.

"I know we've been meeting fairly regularly, so at this point I wish to ask you more about your relationship with Detective Tyuvio, is that alright?"

Unknown to RJ, Revin had made herself appear behind a bookshelf near the two. Though she hated herself for breaking her friend's trust, but she just had to know what the two talked about during their sessions, and to see how attractive she was for herself.

She didn't know how she could exist to witness the session. Perhaps RJ was imagining her there eavesdropping whilst denying to himself that he allowed her to? She didn't pay much mind; she was too hung on the question the doctor had asked.

"Uh… yeah sure"

"So once again, what was your relationship with your partner?"

RJ stared at his shoes as he wondered how to answer the question, doing his best to keep eye contact with the doctor, but not enough for Dr. Yuibo to not notice.

"She was the closest friend I ever had; she meant the world to me"

"Usually we don't see such attachment and depression following a lost partner, forgive my saying, but I have previously given counseling to many CLED officers who had lost their partners, their turnover was much shorter than yours. I just mean to say, did you harbor any special feelings towards Revin?"

RJ didn't know exactly what the doctor was getting at, but he could imagine what it could mean. Could she be closing in on his hidden feelings?

"Well…I mean she was a lot like a sister to me… we were close"

"Was your relationship at all…romantic?"

RJ's heart sank and a black border began to swell around his vision. He had anticipated this question eventually, but it still smacked him in the face when he was asked it. He swallowed loudly and regained eye contact with his therapist.

He cleared his throat, and he answered.


	10. Swallowing Lava

Never Leave Me

By Kachimoochi

Chapter X

Swallowing Lava

Dr. Yuibo crossed and re-crossed her legs as she sat leaning forward, intently staring at RJ, as if trying to read his mind from across the room.

RJ, now visibly sweating from the ends of his golden locks, was evading eye contact as best as he could, still unsure how to answer.

"What do I say?" RJ screamed to the heavens in his mind.

Revin stared equally, though unbeknownst to RJ, from behind a bookshelf as well, desperate for an answer to a question she thought she never cared about.

Audibly clearing his throat, RJ wiped his forehead with the sleeve of his leather jacket and responded in as calm a voice as he could muster.

"I won't say that the feelings were never there, but I think I knew in the back of my head that no matter which way I sliced it, it wouldn't have worked out" RJ uttered, trying to prevent his teeth from chattering out of nervousness.

"It wouldn't have worked? Do you perhaps mean that your relationship wouldn't have been accepted? Or even, that you wouldn't have accepted it?" Dr. Yuibo inquired further, slightly more inquisitive than before.

Revin didn't know what to make of the response, if she truly were a figment of RJ's imagination, shouldn't she already know the answer? The response wasn't entirely shocking, if fact, it sounded like an evasion to the professional interrogator herself. But there her answer was, if one could call it that, and she didn't know what to make of it at all.

"I'm not sure, it seems as if the entire world wanted us to be together, but neither of us would relent" RJ admitted, deciding to selectively reveal the whole truth, as required.

"I believe I understand, and if I may ask, have any others caught your attention in a… romantic sense?" Dr. Yuibo asked, her voice caked in more honey than usual, as she re-crossed her legs once more.

RJ had heard a line similar to that a countless number of times in his career, from a business woman trying to direct his attention from evidence, to a prostitute in a holding cell trying to negotiate her way out of a record. If this was going where he thought it was going, he may be in more trouble than he thought.

Of course, Revin knew of the techniques as much as her human partner did, and she could feel her blood pressure raising by each passing syllable. She was a woman, and most women were the same, she knew what she was doing. Dr. Yuibo may have thanked her lucky stars that Revin was unable to beat her to a pulp, if she were alive there wouldn't have been much stopping her.

"I…I'm sorry…what?" RJ asked, rather put off by the turn of questioning.

Dr. Yuibo, not wanting to say what was on her mind in the simplest of methods, knew that to get what it was that she desired, she needed to be creative and cunning. It had never failed before after all, her results spoke for themselves.

"Do forgive me if I am treading on sensitive ground, it is only that if one is to move on from such a tragic event, perhaps one should be open to analyzing different experiences in life, perhaps to distract from such an emotional wound" She responded, returning her voice to its original pitch.

"Erm…yes I think you've got a point, but I- "

"And as such, and to your mental benefit, I believe that it would be prudent to allow me to assist you personally in overcoming such a tragedy, such is my duty, wouldn't you agree?" Dr. Yuibo returned to her honey-laden tone of voice.

On the far end of the room, one may have noticed a steam rising to the ceiling, emanating from the head of the phantom Turian, who was seething with unimaginable rage.

RJ didn't respond for a moment, the sweat becoming even more visible on his brow, he needed to tread carefully, as he needed to keep the woman aloof of his true mental state. Even more so, he needed to keep focused on the case before it went cold, more than it already was. RJ was trapped between a rock and a succulent, Asari hard place.

"I…certainly Dr, I'm desperate to forget about all of the pain, at this point I'm willing to do anything to fix myself"

Dr. Yuibo beamed, a small quiver of her lip in self-satisfaction, her streak had officially remained unbroken. She carefully stepped out of her wicker chair, taking slow and determined steps with her slender, lengthy legs until she was behind RJ's wicker chair, where his attention remained where she had previously sat.

"I'm very pleased to hear that Detective- may I call you RJ? I propose that you and I accompany one another to a restaurant for dinner, there I will re-teach you social skills and how to redevelop your personality, as informatively and… _intimately_ as I can" Dr. Yuibo almost cooed into RJ's ear.

Revin, who couldn't believe that this slut's textbook pickup was succeeding on her secret love. She knew RJ to be a man impervious to feminine charm, almost as if he could read the minds of anybody trying to seduce him. Had her death put him so desperate for attention and love? Was this all her fault?

The less-than-professional psychiatrist shook RJ's hand, as if to still maintain a suitable Dr-patient relationship. The doctor allowed RJ to remain in the room for as long as he needed until he wanted to leave, which RJ took to further wipe the sweat from his brow, and compose himself in a mirror nearby.

Knowing that what followed could result in disaster, Revin through caution to the wind and walked out of the back of the bookshelf. Though silent, RJ had long been aware of his former partner's stealthy steps, in fact, he was the only person who could hear them. Though he at first thought it was his imagination, he realized that it was, but not in the sense which he thought at first.

If what he thought had happen, had happened, he certainly had some explaining to do.

RJ looked into the corner of the mirror he was peering through, noticing the phantom revealing herself, and staring at him accusatorily, he braced himself for divine punishment.

Such a punishment manifested itself as a slap across his face by the cold, clammy, and powerful hand of his love.

"I'd really like to hear an explanation of what I just saw, because it just might be the most insane thing I'd ever witnessed!" Revin shouted maliciously in RJ's face.

RJ, confused as to why he hadn't noticed her presence before, spoke his defense as calmly as he could.

"It isn't what it looks like"

"Hmm… that's funny, because it looks like you just fell for the most classic pickup in the business, you couldn't have been more clueless if she was naked in front of you"

"I was- wait a minute, I was not clueless!" RJ retorted, forgoing his defense of his action to the defense of his ego.

"Y'know I've known you to reject the advances of every woman you ever met, even that rich politician who tried to get you to hide evidence for "exclusive access" of her "assets", I mean what I just witnessed was embarrassing" Revin chuckled, her rage boiling into spiteful laughter.

RJ, not pleased at being mocked by his partner, turned his attention to the question he'd been wondering about. How was she even there to begin with?

"Well, I've always known you to work together with me and respect my privacy, not hide behind a bookshelf when I'm trying to fix whatever the hell is wrong with me, or at the very least have a restful sleep for the first time in months."

This response rattled Revin slightly, though the two fought occasionally, as all partners do, she'd never known him to defend himself actively. RJ often reveled in humiliating Revin by calmly refuting her points with calculated calmness, he'd never sunk to her level, never.

"Wrong huh? So, I guess I'm what's wrong with you, then right? Well you know what, I think I'd rather go back to being dead if you're just going to fall into the arms of any slut that will have you" Revin calmly said, with venom under her breath, turning away from RJ.

RJ raised his finger as if to make a point, only to find that sentence sucking the wind from his lungs and rendering him speechless. As he analyzed the words, his furrowed brow relaxed, and he felt as guilty as he did the moment he found out that his love was dead.

Revin was slowly vibrating in place, as she crossed her arms and felt tears well in her eyes. If she suspected before, then she knew now for a certainty, she was in love. It hurt all the more as she realized, it was too late.

RJ noticed the subtle shaking of the phantom's body, and couldn't resist reaching out and hugging her, his arms lying over hers, and his face burying itself in the back of her neck, almost resting in the back of her armor.

The tears fell freely from Revin's face as she realized what was happening, it wasn't out of the ordinary for the two of them to hug, away from prying eyes, but this was different. She felt warmer than she had ever felt before, a warmth that emanated from inside of her body, a warmth that could melt iceberg. Was this it? Was this love?

RJ felt it as well, the feeling of swallowing lava, and it spilling out through his body warming it to the core. He'd never been a big believer in love, passing it off as chemical reactions in the brain. Though he knew he was correct, it almost didn't matter now. Minutes passed with the two holding one another, when they broke apart it felt as if they'd been thrust into a blizzard. Revin turned to look at her partner.

He felt as if anything would be worth feeling that warmth for just one more second.

"I'm Sorry" They both said at the same time, making them pause and elicit a small chuckle.

What they had felt was indescribable, a feeling thought unknown to the both of them. The look in their eyes told the entire story, they both knew that the other had felt the warmth, but they just couldn't find it in themselves to say it to the other. But when the cold set back in, they both found themselves equally terrified. They feared what the other thought about them, what they were feeling, what that all meant.

Needing to break the silence, RJ returned to his original explanation, feeling it to be an adequate distraction.

"I know what she was doing, it isn't anything I'd never seen. Hard to believe such an accredited doctor would be so ruthless" RJ began.

Revin's tears were gone, hopefully before RJ noticed was her hope, she listened intently to her partner, giving him the attention, he'd always given her.

"You have to understand, if she even suspects for a second that I'm not right in the head, which we both know I'm not, I'll be barred from the case. You know I'd travel to the end of the Citadel to find who did this to you, but it'll be a lot harder if I'm stuck in the booby hatch"

Revin could only nod her head in agreement, wishing she had seen such a clear motive earlier.

"I just got to feed her what she wants until the case is over, then she can throw me in an asylum and lock away the key for all I care. All I… all I need is a little more time" RJ finished quickly, feeling his voice quivering and breaking as tears began to well in his eyes as well.

"I'm so sorry, I should have known, I'm such an idiot. I don't know what the hell I was thinking, of course you didn't believe her, by the spirits, I'm a worse detective dead than I was alive." Revin relented, her voice quivering equally as his.

They both didn't say anything else; they didn't even make eye contact. What they had experienced would change their entire dynamic, even if they didn't realize it. They knew that the other cared about them, so much so that it physically hurt when faced with separation. They would never be the same, and they didn't even seem as sad about it as they thought they would.

The automatic door leading to the therapy room opened once more, and the minxy doctor walked in once more.

"I've made reservations for us at the Peregrine Falcon, I know the cook so I'll haggle us a free meal, but in the meantime try to focus on- Oh my! RJ? Are you crying?" Dr. Yuibo spoke, surprised at the display of emotion from what had seemed to be a stone-cold, hard-boiled detective.

"Um…yeah I'm sorry… it's just… whenever I think about her again, the tears aren't far behind" RJ excused, quickly thinking of a suitable explanation.

Revin, being a phantom, wasn't noticed by the Asari, if she was, she'd have felt the piercing stare of demonic rage. Revin wished for one more chance to affect a mortal object, if such a wish was granted, she'd use it to strangle the life out of the flirtatious doctor. But she trusted her partner, and if the spirits were on her side, maybe RJ would do it for her.

All Revin needed to do was to bite her tongue until Dr. Yuibo was thoroughly convinced of RJ's mental soundness. She just hoped the questionable doctor wouldn't take her studies too far with the man she loved.


End file.
